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Ex  Libris 

Henry  H.  Bucher,  Jr. 
Cat  Garlit  Bucher 


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DU  OHAILLD   AND   KINO  QDKNGUEZA. 


[See  p.  43. 


THE 


COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS, 


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Penvai-ulc  j.o 

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BIGHT  OF  BIAFRA 


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C  oris  CO  B^^'P-' 


BY 


PAUL  DU  CHAILLU, 


"Adventures  and  Explorations  in 

Equatorial  Africa,"  "A  Journey 

TO  AsHANGO  Land,"  "Stories  op 

THE  Gorilla  Country,"  "Wild 

Life  under  the  Equator," 

"My  Apingi  Kingdom." 


NUMEROUS  ENGRA  VINGS. 


NEW    YORK: 

HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  PUBLISHERS, 

FRANKLIN      SQUARE. 


1872. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1871,  by 

Harper    &    Brothers, 

[n  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


TO 

FLETCHER  HARPER,  Esq. 

Dear  Sir  : — /  dedicate  this  volutne  to  you,  ?iot 
only  as  an  acknowledgment  of  ma7iy  kindnesses  which  I  have 
received  from  you  during  the  years  in  which  you  have  been 
the  publisher  of  my  books,  but  also  as  a  token  of  the  personal 
affection  and  esteem  of 

Your  friend, 

Paul  B.  Du  Chaillu. 

North  Cape,  Noriaay,  August,  1871. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I. 

How  Paul  set  out  for  the  Country  of  the  Dwarfs,  and  what  he  took 
with  him Page  11 

CHAPTER  II. 

On  the  African  Coast. — Meeting  with  old  Friends. — Changes  in  Four 
Years. — The  Captain's  Misgivings 20 

CHAPTER  III. 

Landing  Goods,  — Among  the  Breakers.  — King  Ranpano.  — Loss  of 
Instruments. — King  Quengueza. — A  Palaver. — Changing  Names..  31 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Honest  Africans. — Distributing  Presents. — Quengueza's  Diplomacy. 
— Another  Palaver. — A  new  Settlement. — Rabolo's  Monda. — Ran- 
pano's  Superstition 41 

CHAPTER  V. 
Departure  of  the  Mentor.  —  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  Chimpanzee.  — 
Thomas  in  London. — Left  alone  in  Africa.  —  Departure  from  Pla- 
teau.— A  Tornado. — Nengue  Shika. — Traces  of  Gorillas. — Nengue 
Ncoma. — King  Olenga-Yombi. — The  Ijii 52 

CHAPTER  VL 

Hunting  for  the  Ipi. — Camping  out  in  the  Woods. — Capture  of  an  Ipi. 
— Description  of  the  Animal. — A  new  species  of  Ant-eater Gl 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Life  at  Nlvongon-Boumba.  — Gorillas  and  Plantains.  — Odanga  scared 
by  a  Gorilla. — A  cajitive  Gorilla. — Superstitions  respecting  the  Leop- 
ard     72 


vi  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Wounded  Gorilla  and  her  young  ones. — Taking  their  Photographs. 
—  Tom  and  Minnie. — Arrival  of  my  Vessel. — Hurra  for  Baring 
Brothers.  — A  smoking  Ship.  — King  Quengueza  goes  on  board. — 
Preparations  for  Journey Page     80 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Down  the  River  in  a  Canoe. — A  strange  Passenger. — Talk  with  a 
Gorilla. — Landing  through  the  Breakers. — Preparing  to  cross  the 
Continent. — The  Departure 91 

CHAPTER  X. 

A  royal  Welcome. — Departure  from  Gourahi. — The  Story  of  Nchanga 
and  Enomo. — Ascending  the  Ovenga  River. — A  hostile  Barrier  re- 
moved.— The  Advice  of  Quengueza 105 

CHAPTER  XL 

Bustle  in  the  Camp. — A  magic  Horn. — Quengueza's  Idol. — A  living 
Skeleton. — Terrific  Thunder-storm. — A  Gorilla  Family, — Stupen- 
dous Cataract Ill 

CHAPTER  XII. 

The  Death  of  Remandji. — A  singular  Superstition. — Outbreak  of  the 
Plague. — A  touching  Incident. — Dying  off  by  Scores. — Death  of 
Olenda 112 

CHAPTER  XIIL 
Burial  of  Olenda. — A  desolated  Valley. — Suspicions  aroused. — Rob- 
bery.—  Paul  in  perplexing  circumstances. — Freeing  a  Man  from 
the  Stocks. — Ravages  of  the  Plague 131 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Departure  from  Ashira  Land. — A  silent  Leave-taking. — Tliievish 
I'ortcrs.  —  A  cunning  old  Rascal.  —  Misfortune  on  Misfortune.  — 
Without  Food  in  the  Forest.  —  A  desperate  Plot.  —  Feasting  on 
Monkey-meat. — Out  of  the  Woods 139 

CHAPTER  XV. 

In  the  open  Cou.itry  at  last. — Interview  with  Mayolo. — Igala  falls 
Sick. — A  Mutiny. — The  Otando  Prairie  on  Fire. — Return  of  Ma- 
condai  and  Igalo. — Their  Adventures. — All  together  again 153 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Terrible  Storms  of  Thunder. — Days  of  Anxiety. — Shooting  an  An- 


CONTENTS.  ^Yv 

telope. — Brighter  Prospects. — IMayolo  has  a  hard  time  with  his 
Doctors. — Basket-making Tage  1 G5 

CIIAPTEIl  XVII. 

Departure  from  the  Otando  Country. — Talk  with  Mayolo. — Living 
on  JNIonkey-meat. — Astronomical  Studies. — Lunar  Observations. 
Intense  Heat 1 73 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
Saying  Good-by. — A  panic-stricken  Village. — Pacifj^ing  the  Peojile's 
Fears. — A  tipsy  Scene. — Majesty  on  a  Spree. — Lunch  by  a  River 
side 184 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Rumors  of  War. — Through  a  burning  Prairie. — Imminent  Peril. — 
Narrow  Escape  from  a  horrible  Death.— A  lonely  Night-watch 194 

CHAPTER  XX. 
A  Deputation  from  the  Village. — A  plain  Talk  with  them.— A  beau- 
tiful and  prosperous  Town. — Cheerful  Character  of  the  People. — 
More  Observations 109 

CHAPTER  XXL 

Great  Excitement  in  the  Village. — A  deserted  To^vn. — The  Inhabit- 
ants frightened  away. — Afraid  of  the  Evil  Eye. — The  Author  taken 
for  an  Astrologer. — Lost  among  the  Plantations 20P) 

CHAPTER  XXIL 

First  Sight  of  a  Village  of  the  Dwarfs. — A  strange  and  interesting 
Spectacle. — An  abandoned  Town. — A  Reverie  beside  a  Stream. — 
The  Leaf,  the  Butterfly,  and  the  Bird.— The  blessing  of  Water. ...   214 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Grotesque  Head-dresses. — Curious  fashions  in  Teeth. — A  venerable 
Granite  Boulder. — Interior  of  a  Hut. — A  warlike  race  of  Savages. 
— Giving  them  an  Electric  Shock 22G 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Visit  to  a  Village  of  the  Dwarfs. — Walk  through  the  Primeval  For- 
est.— An  ancient  Account  of  this  strange  Race. — A  great  Ashango 

.  Dance.  — A  Watch  and  a  tremendous  Sneeze.  — First  View  of  the 
Dwarfs. — Queer  specimens  of  Humanity 239 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

Making  friends  with  the  Dwarfs. — A  Surprise  Visit. — A  gorgeous 

A  2 


^r\\{  CONTENTS. 

Feast, — 11111101110118  Sllo^v  of  Babies, — The  Dwarf  Language. — A 
Dwarf  Dauce. — The  old  Fable  of  the  Cranes  and  the  Pigmies.  Page  252 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

A  modern  Traveler's  Account  of  the  Dwarfs  and  their  Habits,  — 
Where  and  how  they  Bury  their  Dead. — Hunting  for  the  Dwarfs. 
— How  they  make  their  Huts 205 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

Traveling  Eastward.  —  Measuring  Heights.  —  Instruments  used.  — 
Reach  INIouaou-Kombo, — Apprehensions  of  the  People, — Palaver 
with  the  Chief. — An  unlucky  Shot. — Hostihties  commenced 274 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

Retreat  from  Mouaou-Kombo. — The  Attack. — Paul  is  wounded. — 
A  Panic. — The  Fight  renewed. — The  Enemy  re-enforced. — Lying 
in  Ambush. — The  Enemy  repulsed. — A  poisoned  Arrow. — Mouit- 
chi  safe.— Death  of  the  Dogs 28G 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

Traveling  Westward. — A  Night  in  the  Forest. — Paul's  Speech  to  his 
]\Ieu. — Their  Reply.  — The  Retreat  resumed.  — Taking  Food  and 
Rest. — Meeting  with  Friends 301 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

Conclusion.  —  Return  to  the  Coast.  —  Desolation  of  the  Country.  — 
Fate  of  old  Friends. — Reach  the  Settlement. — Departure  for  En- 
gland.—Au  Revoir 312 


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ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 

Du  Chaillu  and  King  Quengueza Frontispiece. 

Sketch  Map  op  part  op  Western  Africa Title-page. 

Du  Chaillu  meets  his  old  Friend  Adjouatonga 23 

Capture  of  the  Ipi 67 

Photographing  Gorillas 83 

The  Departure ^01 

Surprising  a  Family  of  Gorillas 117 

Olenda  is  dead 129 

Prisoner  in  Nchogo 136 

Decisive  Measures 14^6 

Meeting  with  Macondai l^^^ 

Hunting  an  Antelope 167 

Otaitai,  or  Porter's  Basket 171 

Taking  an  Observation 180 

Apono  and  Ishogo  Village 208 

IsHOGO  Houses,  with  Ornamental  Doors 211 

Huts  of  the  Dwarfs 216 

Ishogo  Head-dresses 227,  228 

African  Goat,  Chicken,  Parrot,  and  Idol 231 

Shocking  the  Ashangos 236 

Dinner  with  the  Dwarfs 271 

Instruments  for  Observation 275 

The  Fight  with  the  Ashangos 289 

Fkiends  in  the  Darkness 309 


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CHAPTEE  I. 

HOW    PAUL    SET    OUT    FOR    THE    COUNTRY    OF    THE    DWARFS, 
AND   AVHAT    HE    TOOK   WITH    HUM. 

In  tlie  month  of  July,  1SG3,  if  you  Lad  been  in  Lon- 
don, you  might  have  seen  in  St.  Catharine's  Dock  a 
schooner  called  the  Mentor,  a  little  vessel  of  less  than 
one  hundred  tons'  measurement,  and  if  you  had  gone  on 
board  you  would  have  encountered  your  old  friend  Paul 
Du  Chaillu  busily  superintending  the  taking  of  the  car- 
go, and  getting  all  things  in  readiness  for  the  voyage 
upon  which  he  is  now  going  to  take  you. 

Captain  Yardon,  the  commander  of  the  vessel,  was 
generally  by  his  side,  and  I  am  sure  you  would  have 
been  happy  to  make  his  acquaintance,  for  he  was  a  very 
pleasant  man. 

Every  body  was  busy  on  board,  either  on  deck  or  be- 
low deck,  storing  away  the  goods.  Boxes  upon  boxes 
came  alongside  the  Mentor  from  morning  till  evening. 
These  contained  my  outfit  and  the  equipment  necessary 
for  the  expedition. 


12  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

Paul  Du  Chaillii  had  an  anxious  look,  and  you  need 
not  wonder  at  it,  for  he  was  about  to  undertake  a  jour- 
ney of  explorations  of  about  five  years'  duration,  and  had 
to  think  of  many  things.  It  was,  indeed,  no  small  un- 
dertaldng.  What  an  outfit  it  was !  I  will  give  you  some 
idea  of  it. 

Clothing  for  five  years  was  to  be  provided ;  the  very 
smallest  article  must  not  be  forgotten,  even  to  needles, 
thread,  and  scissors. 

It  would  never  do  again  to  be  left  without  shoes,  as  I 
was  in  Apingi  Land,  so  I  had  seventy-two  pairs  of  Bal- 
moral lace-boots  made  specially  for  journeying  in  the 
great  forest,  with  soles  flexible  enough  to  allow  me  to 
bend  my  feet  while  jumping  from  rock  to  rock,  or  from 
the  base  of  one  tree  to  another.  Besides  these  lace-boots 
I  had  twenty -four  pairs  of  shoes  and  twelve  pairs  of  lin- 
en slippers.  Twelve  pairs  of  leggins  were  to  protect 
my  legs  from  thorns,  briers,  and  the  bite  of  snakes ;  so 
you  see  my  feet  and  legs  were  to  be  well  taken  care  of 
in  that  journey,  and  for  my  further  comfort  I  laid  in 
twelve  dozen  pairs  of  socks.  I  took  so  many  because  I 
do  not  know  how  to  darn  socks,  and  when  a  pair  became 
full  of  holes  they  would  have  to  be  thrown  away. 

All  my  shirts  were  made  of  light-colored  flannel ;  these 
were  more  healthy  than  linen  shirts,  and,  besides  econo- 
mizing soap,  it  saved  me  from  the  necessity  of  getting 
under-garments,  and  consequently  allotted  me  space 
which  could  be  devoted  to  other  articles. 

With  an  eye  to  the  great  wear  and  tear  of  pantaloons, 
I  had  ordered  six  dozen  pairs  made  of  the  strongest 
twisted  blue  drill  that  could  be  got.  Instead  of  coats  I 
ordered  two  dozen  blouses,  made  of  durable  linen  stuff, 


THE  MEDICINE-  CHEST.  1 3 

of  a  color  not  easily  seen  in  the  woods.  Tlie  blouse  was 
a  very  convenient  garment,  admitting  of  nnm-erous  pock- 
ets, in  wliicli  I  could  keep  many  things  while  on  the 
march.  Every  thing  was  made  for  wear  and  not  for  show, 
and  to  go  through  the  thickest  and  most  thorny  jungle. 

Several  dozen  pocket-handkerchiefs  completed  my 
wearing  outfit.  Besides  their  ordinary  use,  these  were 
to  be  worn,  generally  wet,  inside  the  three  fine  soft  Pan- 
ama hats  I  had  provided  to  protect  my  head  from  the 
rays  of  a  burning  sun.  ]^o  collars,  no  neck-ties  were 
necessary. 

Clothes  must  be  waslied,  so  I  took  with  me  one  hun- 
dred pounds  of  the  hardest  Marseilles  soap.  That  quan- 
tity was  not  much,  but  then  I  would  probably  be  able 
some  time  to  make  my  own  soap  with  palm-oil. 

Then  came  the  drugs,  and  these  gave  me  more  embar- 
rassment than  any  thing  else.  If  it  had  been  only  to 
take  medicines  for  myself,  the  matter  would  have  been 
simple  enough.  A  compact  little  medicine-chest,  with 
an  extra  quantity  of  quinine,  laudanum,  and  a  few  other 
remedies  used  in  tropical  climates  more  frequently  than 
in  ours,  would  have  sufficed ;  but  I  had  to  think  of  my 
followers  and  porters — a  retinue  that  would  sometimes 
number  five  and  six  hundred — and  accordingly  I  pur- 
chased 

Y5  ounce  bottles  of  quinine. 

10  gallons  of  castor-oil. 

50  pounds  of  Epsom  salts.  • 

2  quarts  of  laudanum. 

These  were  the  medicines  which  would  be  the  most 
needed ;  but,  besides  these,  I  had  pretty  nearly  all  the 
drugs  to  be  found  at  the  apothecary's. 


14  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

Of  arsenic  I  took  one  liundred  pounds,  to  preserve  the 
skins  of  animals  and  birds  I  expected  to  kill  in  my  jour- 
neyings. 

Most  of  these  and  my  wearing  apparel  were  packed  in 
japanned  tin  boxes,  which  would  be  serviceable  after- 
ward for  the  preservation  of  my  butterflies  and  stuffed 
birds.  Tin  boxes  were  safer  than  wooden  ones;  the 
white  ants  would  not  be  able  to  pierce  through  them. 

Though  I  did  not  set  out  to  make  w^ar,  I  felt  that.  I 
ought  to  be  prepared  for  any  emergency.  Besides,  I  was 
to  hunt,  and  I  must  have  guns.  After  a  great  deal  of 
thinking  it  over,  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that,  for  such 
a  wild  country,  where  I  might  get  short  of  cartridges, 
the  greater  part  of  my  guns  should  be  muzzle-loaders, 
so  I  bought  four  splendid  English  muzzle-loaders,  four 
long  muzzle-loading  rifles,  two  very  short  smooth-bore 
muzzle-loaders,  and  two  very  short  muzzle-loading  rifles. 

Then  I  took  a  magnificent  double-barrel  breech-load- 
ing rifle  which  could  throw  steel-pointed  bullets  weigh- 
ing more  than  two  ounces.  I  had  Dean  and  Adams's 
revolvers,  magnificent  arms  that  never  got  out  of  order, 
and  several  long,  formidable  hunting-knives. 

These  guns  were  for  my. own  special  use,  and  they 
were  supplied  with  moulds  for  making  bullets,  etc.,  etc. 

Besides  these,  I  had  ordered  in  Birmingham  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  cheap  guns  for  my  body-guard  and  the 
native  king,  to  whom  I  might  desire  to  give  one.  Most 
of  tliei:g  were  flint-locks,  and  of  the  pattern  called  the 
Tower. 

I  had  great  trouble  in  knowing  what  quantity  of  am- 
munition to  take,  for  lead  is  heav}^ ;  but,  then,  what  would 
a  man  do  in  a  savage  country  without  powder  and  bullets  ? 


SCIENTIFIC  mSTR  miENTS.  1 5 

The  great  difliculty  with  rifle  muzzle-loaders  is,  that 
when  the  charge  has  been  driven  home  the  bullets  can 
not  be  easily  withdrawn.  So  it  is  with  the  revolvers ; 
and  a  great  deal  of  ammunition  would  be  lost  on  that 
account. 

My  ammunition  consisted  of  15,000  cartridges  for  my 
revolvei-s,  in  soldered  tin  boxes  of  fifties ;  15,000  bullets 
for  my  guns  and  rifies,  and  lead  for  20,000  more,  for  the 
practice  of  my  men  before  starting  into  the  desert ;  1000 
pounds  of  small  shot  of  different  sizes,  for  birds ;  400 
pounds  of  fine  powder ;  60,000  caps.  I  also  took  200 
10-pound  barrels  of  coarse  powder  for  my  body-guard 
and  to  give  away  to  my  friends,  or  as  presents. 

So  you  see  the  warlike  and  hunting  apparatus  of  the 
expedition  was  very  heavy,  but  we  were  to  depend  in  a 
great  measure  on  our  guns  for  food.  Elephants,  ante- 
lopes, hippopotami,  gazelles,  crocodiles,  and  monkeys 
would  be  our  chief  diet.  Then  came  the  scientific  in- 
struments : 

4  strong,  splendid  hunting-case  watches,  by  Brock,  Lon- 
don. 

1  watch  made  by  Frodsham,  London. 

48  spare  w^atch-keys  and  24  spare  glasses. 

3  sextants,  8,  6,  and  4  inches  radius. 

1  binocular  yachting-glass. 

1  telescope. 

1  universal  sun-dial  (a  magnificent  instrument). 

1  aneroid.  ♦ 

2  compasses,  prismatic,  with  stand,  shades,  and  reflect- 

or three  inches  in  diameter,  to  take  the  bearings 
of  land,  etc.,  etc. 
2  pocket  compasses. 


16  THE  COUNTMY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

1  set  drawing  instruments  (German  silver). 

2  dozen  drawing-pens. 

2  artificial  horizons,  folding  roof,  improved  iron  trough, 
and  bottles  containing  quicksilver,  in  sling  case. 

1  hypsometrical  apparatus. 

2  bull's-eye  lanterns,  copper  boiler,  three  reservoirs  for 

spirits,  oil,  or  candles. 

3  thermometers  for  measuring  heights  and  boiling  wa- 

ter. 
2  thermometers  for  the  sun  (to  know  its  power). 
2  thermometers  graduated  Falirenheit  and  Centigrade. 
1  thermometer  graduated  Centigrade  and  Reaumur. 

1  powerful  electro-magnetic  machine,  with  90  feet  of 

conducting  wire  or  cord. 

2  large  magnif  jing-glasses. 

7  pounds  of  mercury,  in  a  bottle,  as  a  reserve  supply. 
Parallel  rule  (German  silver). 

Protractor,  circular,  with  compass  rectifier,  in  a  ma- 
hogany box. 

3  rain-gauges  and  spare  glasses,  to  tell  the  amount  of 

rain  falling  at  a  given  time. 

Scale,  18  inches,  metal,  graduated  to  inches,  and  sub- 
divided to  tenths  and  hundredths,  in  a  box. 

Tape,  100  feet,  to  measure  trees. 

75  sheets  of  skeleton  maps,  ruled  in  squares,  to  mark 
out  in  the  rough  my  daily  route  as  determined  by 
compass. 

4  Nautical  Almanacs,  1863,  '4,  '5,  '6,  to  be  used  in  my 

astronomical  observations ;  and  several  other  sci- 
entific books. 

12  blank  books  for  keeping  my  daily  journal. 

10  memorandum-books. 


PHOTO OBAPHIC  APFAMA  TUS.  1 7 

10  quires  of  paper. 

Ink,  pens,  pencils,  slates. 

For  illumination  I  provided  100  poujids  of  wax  can- 
dles, 10  gallons  of  spirits  (alcohol)  for  lamps,  thermom- 
eters, etc.,  etc. ;  12  gross  of  matches  in  boxes,  each  dozen 
boxes  inclosed  in  a  separate  soldered  tin  box.  Tliough 
I  had  fire-steel  and  flint,  the  matches  could  light  a  fire 
much  quicker,  and  they  were  "  big  things"  with  the  na- 
tives. 

So  you  see  I  had  a  complete  set  of  instruments,  and 
in  sufiicient  number,  so  that  in  case  of  accident  I  could 
replace  the  injured  one;  and  accidents  I  knew  were  sure 
to  happen. 

If  I  did  not  explain  to  you  why  I  took  five  watches,  I 
am  sure  you  would  say  that  I  was  foolish  to  spend  so 
much  money  in  watches.  Then  let  me  tell  you  that  I 
bought  so  many  because  I  was  afraid  that  if  I  took  only 
one  or  two,  they  might  stop  running,  and  in  this  event  it 
would  have  been  impossible  for  me  to  know  my  longi- 
tude, that  is  to  say,  how  far  east  or  west  I  might  be,  and 
to  ascertain  the  day  and  month,  should  illness  have 
caused  me  to  forget  the  calendar.  No  watch  can  be 
safely  depended  upon  to  run  for  five  years  in  such  a  cli- 
mate without  cleaning.  But  as  four  of  them  had  been 
made  specially  for  the  journey,  I  felt  assured  that  at  least 
one  or  two  out  of  the  five  would  run  till  my  return. 

But  we  have  not  yet  done  with  my  equipment.  There 
were  18  boxes  containing  photographic  apparatus,  with 
tent,  and  chemicals  for  10,000  photographs.  The  trans- 
portation of  these  alone  would  require  twenty  men. 

All  that  I  have  enumerated  to  3^ou  constituted  but  a 
small  proportion  of  the  tliijigs  that  came  on  board,  and 


18  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

were  for  my  special  use,  with  the  exception  of  the  250 
common  guns  and  a  great  part  of  the  ammunition. 

There  are  yet  to  be  mentioned  the  presents  for  my  old 
friends,  who  had  been  so  kind  to  me  in  my  former  jour- 
neys, and  whom  I  hoped  to  see  again.  These  w^ere  the 
chiefs  whose  hospitality  I  had  enjoyed,  and  my  dear 
hunters  Aboko,  Fasiko,  Niamkala,  Malaouen,  Querlaou- 
en,  Gambo,  dear  old  Qucngueza,  Eanpano,  Eikimongani, 
and  Obindji,  the  Bakalai  chief.  Presents,  too,  were  in- 
dispensable for  the  people  who  were  to  take  me  from 
tribe  to  tribe,  and  the  right  of  way  I  knew  would  often 
have  to  be  bought.  So  more  than  two  months  had  been 
spent  by  me  in  the  London  clothing,  hardware,  and  dry- 
goods  establishments,  finding  what  I  wanted. 

I  bought  more  than  6000  pounds  of  beads  of  different 
sizes  and  colors,  several  hundred  pieces  of  cotton  goods, 
some  pieces  of  silks,  coats,  waistcoats,  shirts,  2000  red 
cajys,  a  few  umbrellas,  files,  knives,  bells,  fire-steels,  flints, 
looking-glasses,  forks,  spoons,  some  stove-jpijpe  hats  for 
the  kings  near  the  sea-shore,  straw  hats,  etc.,  etc. 

Then,  to  impress  the  wild  people  with  what  I  could  do, 
I  bought  several  large  Geneva  musical  boxes,  one  pow- 
erful electrical  battery,  several  magnets,  and  six  ship 
clocks,  etc.,  etc. 

The  abundant  results  of  the  sale  of  my  "  Adventures 
in  Equatorial  Africa,"  and  the  proceeds  arising  from  the 
disposal  of  my  gorillas,  and  my  collection  of  beasts,  birds, 
insects,  and  shells,  alone  enabled  me  to  undertake  this 
new  expedition,  for  not  one  dollar  has  ever  been  given 
by  any  scientific  society  to  help  me  in  any  of  my  travels 
or  explorations ;  but  I  was  very  happy  in  expending  a 
part  of  my  means  in  the  interest  of  science  and  for  the 


REASON  FOR  THE  EXPEDITION. 


19 


enlargement  of  onr  knowledge  of  nnknown  countries.  I 
only  wish  now  I  could  have  done  more,  but  really  I  think 
that  I  did  the  best  I  could. 

Yeai-s  had  passed  away  since  I  had  gone  first  to  Afri- 
ca, my  parents  were  both  dead,  I  was  alone  in  the  world 
and  the  world  was  before  me,  and  I  thought  I  could  do 
nothing  better  than  make  another  exploration. 

I  had  made  up  my  mind,  without  confiding  my  pur- 
pose to  any  one,  to  cross  the  continent  of  Africa  near  the 
equator,  from  the  w^est  to  the  head  waters  of  the  Nile, 
and  to  set  out  from  the  Commi  country.  I  knew  my 
old  negro  friends  would  help  me.  That  was  the  reason 
my  outfit  was  on  so  large  a  scale. 

The  only  thing  that  worried  me  before  my  departure 
was  our  civil  war,  but  then  I  thought  it  was  soon  to  end. 


CHAPTER  II. 


ON   THE   AFEICAN    COAST. :MEETING    WITH    OLD    FRIENDS. — 

CHANGES   IN   FOTJR  YEARS. THE    CAPTAIn's   MISGIVINGS. 

On  the  5tli  of  Ano-nst  we  sailed  from  London.  I  will 
not  weary  joii  with  a  narrative  of  the  voyage.  The  days 
passed  pleasantly  on  board  the  Mentor.  By  the  end  of 
the  month  of  Angust  we  were  not  far  from  the  Tropic 
of  Cancer.  September  glided  away  calmly,  and  on  the 
7th  of  October  Captain  Yardon  said  that  the  following 
day  we  should  come  in  sight  of  land. 

Accordingly,  the  next  morning  I  heard  from  the  main- 
top the  cry  of  ''  Land !  land !"  Two  honrs  afterward 
from  the  deck  I  could  discern  the  low  lands  of  the  Com- 
mi  country.  Xearer  and  nearer  the  coast  we  came,  un- 
til we  could  see  the  white  surf  breaking  with  terrific 
force  on  the  shore,  and  hear  the  booming  sound  of  the 
angry  waves  as  they  dashed  against  the  breakers.  The 
country  was  so  monotonous  in  its  outlines  that  we  could 
not  make  out  exactly  where  we  were ;  we  only  knew  that 
we  were  south  of  Cape  Lopez,  and  not  very  far  from  it. 
I  thought  it  strange  that  I  could  not  recognize  the  mouth 
of  the  Fern  and  Yaz  or  Commi  River. 

!N'o  canoes  could  ride  through  the  surf,  so  no  natives 
could  come  on  board.  In  the  evening  we  stood  off  the 
land  and  shortened  sail,  and  afterward  we  cast  anchor. 


DU   CUAILLTJ  MEETS  HIS  OLD  FRIEND   ADJOUATONGA. 


VISIT  FROM  AN  OLD  FRIEND.  23 

The  next  iiioniiiig  we  sailed  again  in  a  southerly  di- 
rection, and  at  last  we  saw  a  canoe  pass  through  the 
breakers ;  it  came  alongside,  and  the  negroes  in  it  shout- 
ed in  English,  "  Put  down  the  anchor !  Plenty  of  ivory, 
plenty  of  every  thing;  load  the  ship  in  a  fortnight." 

We  had  passed  the  Fernand  Yaz,  having  sailed  too  far 
south.  The  mouth  of  the  river  itself  is  very  difficult  to 
discover.  Perhaps  you  may  recollect  my  having  for- 
merly described  it  as  discernible  only  by  the  white  surf 
combing  over  its  bar,  by  large  flocks  of  fish-eating  birds 
hovering  in  the  air  above  it,  and  by  a  long,  white  sandy 
point  forming  the  extremity  of  the  land  on  the  left 
bank.^ 

As  we  approached  the  river,  two  canoes  left  the  shore 
and  made  for  the  vessel.  In  the  first,  as  it  neared  us,  I 
recognized  my  friend  Adjouatonga,  a  chief  belonging  to 
the  clan  Adjiena,  whose  villages  occupied  the  mouth  of 
the  I'iver.-  He  climbed  up  the  vessel's  side,  and  went  to 
shake  hands  with  the  captain,  and  then  advanced  toward 
me  to  do  the  same.  I  had  not  said  a  word,  but  upon  my 
raising  my  hat,  which  had  been  pulled  down  so  as  partly 
to  conceal  my  face,  and  turning  round  upon  him,  he 
stepped  back  in  astonishment,  and,  recognizing  me  at 
once,  cried  out  in  his  own  language, "  Are  you  Chally 
or  his  spirit?  Have  you  come  from  the  dead?  for  we 
have  heard  you  were  dead.  Tell  me  quickly,  for  I  do 
not  know  whether  I  am  to  believe  my  own  eyes.  Per- 
haps I  am  getting  a  kendo"  (an  idiot,  a  fool).  And  I 
said,  "Adjouatonga,  I  am  Chally,  your  friend!"  The 
good  fellow  embraced  me  in  a  transport  of  joy,  l)ut  lie 
hugged  me  so  tight  and  so  long  that  1  wished  his  friend- 

*  Explorations  in  Equatorial  Africa. 

B 


24  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

ship  had  been  less  enthusiastic.  Four  years  had  nearly 
gone  by  since  I  had  left  the  Commi  country. 

As  the  second  canoe  came  nearer,  I  ordered  Adjoua- 
tonga  not  to  say  a  word.  My  heart  leaped  for  joy,  for 
in  it  were  my  own  people  from  the  dear,  good  old  Afri- 
can Washington  of  mine.  Sholomba,  the  nephew^  of  King 
Eanpano,  was  there,  and  my  boy  Macondai ;  all  my  for- 
mer canoe-men,  Komb^,  Ratenou,  Oshimbo,  were  in  that 
canoe.  I  longed  for  them  to  come  on  board.  I  could 
hardly  restrain  myself ;  but  I  felt  that  I  must  appear  like 
as  if  I  did  not  know  them,  and  see  whether  they  would 
recoo-nize  me. 

In  a  moment  they  were  on  deck,  and  a  wild  shout 
of  joy  came  from  them,  "  Our  white  man  has  come 
back !  Chally !  Chally !"  and  they  all  rushed  toward  me. 
Good  fellows !  in  their  savage  natures  they  loved  me, 
and  they  remembered  the  friend  who  had  never  wronged 
them.  I  was  seized  and  almost  pulled  to  pieces,  for  they 
all  wanted  to  hug  me  at  the  same  time.  Captain  Yar- 
don  looked  with  perfect  amazement  at  the  scene  of  greet- 
ing.    They  seemed  to  be  crazy  with  joy  to  see  me  again. 

Then  followed  a  long  and  confused  account  of  what 
had  taken  place  since  my  departure,  all  talking  at  the 
same  time. 

When  we  had  come  back  to  our  senses,  the  next  sub- 
ject to  be  considered  was  how  I  was  to  get  ashore.  Of 
course  I  wished  to  go  by  the  mouth  of  the  river,  but  Sho- 
lomba assured  me  it  could  not  be  done.  The  mouth  of 
the  Fernand  Yaz  had  changed  much  for  the  worse,  and 
it  would  be  less  dangerous  to  run  a  canoe  through  the 
surf  to  the  beach  than  to  attempt  to  cross  the  bar  of  the 
river.     It  was  now  the  beginning  of  the  rainy  season, 


ONCE  MORE  IN  AFRICA.  25 

wlien  the  winds  are  less  violent  than  in  the  dry  season, 
hut  the  surf  had  not  suhsided  from  the  agitation  of  the 
heavy  south  winds  of  the  diy  season. 

The  anchor  was  cast,  and  I  left  the  Mentor  in  Adjou- 
atonga's  canoe,  which  was  a  better  one  than  the  other. 

All  was  excitement  in  the  canoe,  and  the  men  sang. 
Adjouatonga,  looking  more  and  more  anxious  as  we  ap- 
proached the  rollers,  rested  outside  for  a  while,  and  then, 
at  the  proper  moment,  skillfully  directed  the  frail  canoe 
over  the  crest  of  a  huge  wave,  which  bore  us  with  light- 
ning speed  to  the  beach,  where  I  was  caught  up  by  the 
natives  that  were  waiting  for  us,  and  carried  safely  to 
dry  land.     Tremendous  huzzas  were  given. 

Once  more  I  stood  on  African  soil. 

The  people  recognized  me,  and  I  was  hurried  along, 
amidst  a  crowd  of  several  hundred  savages,  all  dancing 
and  shouting  with  frantic  joy,  across  the  sandy  tongue 
of  land  to  the  banks  of  the  Comnii,  my  own  Commi  Riv- 
er, where  canoes  were  waiting  to  take  us  to  Washington 
and  to  old  King  Ranpano. 

Time  had  wrought  great  changes  m  the  land  of  my 
former  explorations.  The  mouth  of  the  river  had  altered 
so  much  that  I  could  hardly  recognize  it.  The  long, 
sandy,  reed-covered  pits,  which  projected  three  miles 
from  the  southern  point  of  the  river's  mouth,  and  which 
had  been  the  scene  of  many  hunting  adventures  with 
ducks,  cranes,  and  sea-gulls,  had  disappeared,  and  the  sea 
had  washed  the  sand  away,  and  taken  the  greater  part  of 
it  to  the  northern  side  of  the  village  of  Elinde,  whose 
chief,  Sangala,  had  given  me  so  much  trouble  in  former 
times.  The  spot  where  Sangala's  village  had  stood  had 
become  untenanted,  and  the  people  had  removed.    Many 


26 


THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 


a  clear  little  island,  where  I  used  to  hide  to  shoot  birds, 
had  also  been  submerged  or  washed  away,  and  I  no  lon- 
ger saw  the  flocks  of  sea-fowl  which  formerly  frequented 
the  locality. 

I  felt  sad  mdeed ;  a  pang  of  sorrow  shot  through  me. 
It  was  like  a  dream ;  the  scene  of  my  former  hunting 
had  vanished,  and  nothing  but  the  record  of  what  I  had 
written  about  the  land  was  left.  I  can  not  express  to 
you  the  lonely  feeling  that  came  over  me.  Though  ev- 
ery thing  was  changed,  the  former  picture  of  the  land- 
scape was  before  me.  I  remembered  every  island,  every 
little  outlet,  the  herd  of  hippopotami,  the  "  Caroline"  in- 
side the  bar  quietly  at  anchor. 

Oh,  I  would  have  given  any  thing  if  I  could  have  seen 
the  country  as  it  was  when  I  left  it !  I  had  been  so  hap- 
py, I  spent  so  many  pleasant  days  there,  I  had  so  loved  to 
roam  on  that  sandy  point,  and  to  lie  on  its  sand !  Now 
it  was  nothing  but  a  dream ;  it  had  been  swept  away. 

The  canoes  in  the  river  being  ready,  I  embarked  in 
one,  followed  by  all  the  others,  the  people  singing, "  Our- 
ntangani  (white  man)  has  come  back.  Oh,  how  w^e  love 
our  white  man !  Oh,  how  our  white  man  loves  us !  for 
he  lias  come  back  to  us.  Yes,  we  never  stole  from  our 
white  man ;  our  white  man  remembers  that,  and  he 
comes  back  to  us,  for  he  is  not  afraid  of  us." 

Paddling  up  the  stream,  many,  many  sights  I  recog- 
nized;  many  mangrove -trees  I  remembered;  the  old 
banks  of  the  river  were  familiar  to  me.  I  looked  eager- 
ly at  every  thing  around.  , 

Halloo !  w^hat  do  I  see  yonder  ?  a  herd  of  hippopota- 
mi motionless  in  the  water,  and  looking  for  all  the  world 
like   old  logs  stuck  in  the  mud.     Familiar  species  of 


^AD  yEWS  OF  AN  OLD  FRIEND.  27 

cranes  stalked  about  here  and  there,  the  pelican  swam 
majestically,  the  kingfishers  were  watching  for  their 
prey,  Avitli  white  cranes  and  ducks  not  far  from  them. 

Thus  we  glided  along  up  the  river.  My  heart  was  full ; 
I  did  not  speak  a  word.  Soon  we  came  in  front  of  my 
old  settlement  of  Washington,  of  which  I  gave  you  a  pic- 
ture in  my  Apingi  Kingdom. 

Oh  !  wdiat  do  I  see  ?  Nothing  but  ruins !  The  houses 
had  all  tumbled  down ;  a  few  bamboos  and  rotting  poles 
alone  remained  to  show  me  where  my  big  house  stood. 
The  four  trees  between  which  my  house  had  been  built 
were  still  there ;  the  gum  copal  tree  was  in  front.  The 
little  village  for  my  men  was  not  to  be  seen ;  desolation 
had  taken  possession  of  the  place.  One  single  house  was 
still  standing.  The  men  stopped  their  singing;  their 
faces  became  sad.  A  feelmg  that  some  misfortime  had 
happened  seized  me. 

I  got  up  and  shouted,  looking  the  men  steadily  in  the 
face, "  Where  is  Kikimongani,  my  friend,  he  whom  I  in- 
trusted with  the  settlement  of  Washington  T  "  Dead, 
dead,"  said  they.  "The  people  were  jealous  that  you 
loved  him  so  well,  and  they  did  not  want  him  to  see  you 
again,  and  they  bewitched  him ;  he  fell  ill,  and  died." 

"  Rikimongani  dead  !"  I  exclaimed.  I  took  off  my  hat 
as  we  passed  the  place,  and  said, "  Oh,  how  sorry  I  am, 
Kikimongani !  What  shall  I  do  with  the  fine  old  coat  I 
have  for  you?  what  shall  I  do  w^ith  the  nice  cane  and 
the  fine  hat  I  have  brought  for  you  ?  Oh,  dear  Rikimon- 
gani,I  have  many  2:>resents  for  you.  Rikimongani,  did 
you  know  how  much  I  loved  you  V 

"  See,"  shouted  the  men, "  how  much  he  loved  Riki- 
raonscani !" 


28  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

''  Oil  yes/'  said  the  canoe-men, "  he  always  talked  oi^ 
you,  and  said  he  was  snre  you  would  come  back,  though 
we  all  said  that  you  would  not,  and  that  you  would  for- 
get us.  Eikimongani  used  to  say, '  One  day  we  shall  see 
a  white  sail,  and  Chally  will  be  on  board,  and  he  w^ill 
land  and  come  to  see  us  again.'  In  the  evenings  he 
would  talk  of  you  to  us  boys." 

Tears  filled  my  eyes.  Then  Sholomba  whispered  to 
me,  "  When  the  wizards  who  were  accused  of  having  be- 
witched Rikimongani  were  about  to  drink  the  mboim- 
dou,  they  said, '  Chally  has  killed  Eikimongani,  for  he 
will  never  come  back  here,  and  he  loves  Eikimongani  so 
much  that  he  has  killed  him,  so  that  he  might  have  his 
spirit  always  with  him.'  And,"  said  Sholomba,  "  many 
believed  them,  but  many  did  not." 

"  We  must  not  land  here,"  said  Sholomba.  "  Chally, 
you  must  never  build  here ;  the  people  are  afraid  of  the 
place ;  nobody  will  dare  to  come  here,  for  people  die  al- 
ways in  this  place.  Several  times  villages  had  been 
built,  and  the  people  had  to  leave  this  spot.  Witchcraft 
is  here." 

I  felt  that  I  had  come  back  to  a  wild  life,  full  of  su- 
perstitions and  legends. 

We  paddled  till  we  came  two  miles  above  my  place 
of  Washington,  which  had  brought  back  so  many  rem- 
iniscences to  me.  Though  I  would  have  liked  to  build 
again  there,  I  could  not  think  of  it  on  account  of  the  su- 
perstitious dread  of  the  natives  for  the  spot. 

When  we  stopped,  Sholomba  and  Djombouai  had 
reached  their  little  village.  Eanpano  was  a^vay  from 
home,  on  the  Ogobai  Eiver.  So  I  resolved  to  build  a 
new  settlement  close  to  their  villao-e. 


A  WARM-HEARTED  RECEPTION.  29 

Messengers  were  sent  to  King  Eanpano  to  tell  liiui  to 
come,  and  the  news  spread  over  the  country  that  Chally 
had  come  back,  and  the  people  from  all  the  villages  and 
the  country  round  came  trooping  by  land  and  water  to 
see  their  old  friend,  and  to  hear  about  the  stores  of  good 
things  he  had  brought  with  him.  They  came  pouring 
in  day  after  day,  camping  in  the  woods,  on  the  prairie, 
every  where.  They  would  endure  hunger  rather  than 
go  home.  Many,  many  an  old  face  I  saw ;  many  a  kind- 
hearted  woman  came  and  told  me  how  glad  she  was  to 
see  me ;  many  boys  and  girls  w^lio  had  grown  up  said 
they  wanted  to  work  for  me ;  many  people  brought  me 
presents  of  food. 

How  pleased  I  was !  Oh  yes,  I  had  tried  to  do  right 
with  these  savages,  and  they  knew  it,  and  they  loved  me 
for  it.  I  knew  that  not  one  of  them  thought  unkindly 
of  me. 

The  day  after  my  landing  I  dispatched  Sholomba  with 
a  canoe  filled  with  paddlers  up  the  river.  Those  among 
you  who  have  followed  me  in  my  former  adventures 
must  guess  where  I  sent  that  canoe. 

To  the  village  of  King  Quengueza,  that  dear  old  chief. 
I  wanted  to  see  his  face.  I  had  brought  great  numbers 
of  presents  for  him,  to  show  him  that  in  the  white  man's 
country  I  had  thought  of  him.  I  had  brought  presents 
for  many  of  his  people,  his  nephews,  sons,  and  nieces. 
His  old  faithful  slaves  were  not  forgotten — good  old  Etia 
among  them ;  and  his  head  slave  Mombon. 

So  one  canoe  had  gone  for  friend  Ranpano,  and  an- 
other for  good  old  Quengueza. 

Canoes  strong  enough  to  go  through  the  surf  were 
coming  from  all  the  villages.    Huts  were  giv^en  to  me  in 


30  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

which  to  store  my  goods,  and  now  we  had  reached  the 
point  of  bringing  them  ashore. 

It  was  necessary  for  me  to  go  on  board  the  Mentor, 
and  arrange  the  mode  of  disembarkation  of  my  exten- 
sive outfit  and  stock  of  goods.  As  the  mouth  of  the  riv- 
er had  become  unsafe  on  account  of  the  breaking-up  of 
the  sandy  spit,  and  was  now  an  uninterrupted  hue  of 
breakers,  we  resolved  to  land  every  thing  on  the  beach 
through  the  surf,  and  then  carry  them  across  to  the  river, 
and  put  them  in  other  canoes,  which  were  to  carry  them 
to  my  new  settlement. 

So  on  the  14tli  I  went  to  the  schooner,  and  slept  on 
board  that  night.  Captain  Yardon  was  somewhat  anx- 
ious ;  he  had  never  been  on  this  wild  and  unfrequented 
part  of  the  coast,  so  far  from  any  civilized  settlements, 
and  when  he  saw  me  he  was  delighted,  and  said  that  he 
began  to  think  that  the  natives  had  murdered  me.  He 
had  kept  an  armed  guard  on  the  watch  all  the  time,  for, 
said  he,  such  a  country  looked  exactly  like  one  where 
the  natives  could  pounce  upon  the  unsuspecting  vessel, 
murder  the  crew,  and  rob  the  ship.  I  assured  him  that 
there  was  no  danger ;  that  I  could  do  what  I  wished  with 
the  Commi  people,  as  he  would  be  able  to  see  for  him- 
self;  and  that,  though  many  of  the  boxes  would  have  to 
be  opened,  and  the  goods  deposited  loose  in  the  canoes, 
not  a  single  thing  would  be  stolen. 

Knowing  the  negroes  of  the  Coast  (for  he  had  been  a 
trader),  he  seemed  somewhat  incredulous  at  my  state- 
ment. 


CHAPTEE  III. 

LANDING  GOODS. AMONG  THE  BKEAKERS. KING  KANPANO. 

LOSS    OF    INSTRUMENTS. KING    QUENGUEZA. A   PALA- 
VER.— CHANGING   NAMES. 

The  next  morning,  at  daybreak,  three  canoes  came 
alongside  to  take  off  the  cargo.  The  men  brought  the 
news  that  King  Ranpano  had  arrived,  and  was  on  the 
beach- 

My  most  precious  things  were  lowered  into  the  canoes, 
and  when  every  thing  was  ready,  the  captain  concluded 
to  go  ashore  with  me. 

The  captain  and  I  got  into  the  canoe  containing  all 
my  scientific  instruments,  medicines,  some  of  my  best 
guns,  my  w^atch  chronometers,  ^ve  Geneva  musical  box- 
es, etc.,  etc.  Before  we  left  the  captain  ordered  the 
mate  to  keep  a  sharp  look-out,  and  fasten  to  the  anchors 
seventy  fathoms  of  chain,  for  the  sea  was  heavy.  The 
crew  came  to  say  good-by  to  me,  and  as  our  canoes  left 
the  side  of  the  Mentor  they  gave  three  cheers  for  me. 
Then,  as  fast  as  our  paddles  could  propel  us,  we  made 
for  the  beach. 

As  we  approached  the  breakers,  the  faces  of  the  ca- 
noe-men looked  anxious,  for  the  swells  were  heavy,  and 
I  could  hear  the  roar  of  the  surf.  IS'earcr  and  nearer 
we  came.     The  two  other  canoes  were  aliead  of  us. 

B2 


3  2  THE  CO  UNTR  Y  OF  THE  D  WARES. 

The  men  were  watching  the  swells,  resting  on  their 
paddles.  At  last  we  hear  their  cheers;  they  plunge 
their  paddles  into  the  water,  and  onward  they  go  toward 
the  shore,  rolling  on  the  top  of  a  heavy,  long  swell. 

My  men  thought  we  were  too  late,  as  we  were  behind, 
and  had  better  wait  for  the  next  lull.  In  the  mean  time 
we  watched  the  two  canoes ;  they  seemed  for  a  while  to 
be  buried  in  the  foaming  billows.  "  Surely,"  I  said  to 
Captain  Yardon, "  those  canoes  will  never  reach  the  shore 
safely." 

"  I  don't  believe  they  will,"  was  his  answer. 

"We  had  reached  a  point  just  outside  the  breakers, 
where  we  watch ;  the  two  canoes  appear  again ;  they 
have  not  capsized ;  the  men  are  covered  with  spray ; 
they  are  paddling  as  hard  as  they  can ;  they  are  over  the 
breakers ;  they  land  safely ;  the  people  on  the  shore  seize 
the  canoes,  and  bring  them  up  the  beach. 

Xow  our.  time  has  come,  and  the  men  are  watching 
anxiously.  I  have  the  finest  canoe-men  of  the  Commi 
tribe  in  my  canoe.  Oshimbo  holds  the  steering-paddle. 
Kombe,  Ratenou,  Ondonga,  Gonwe,  Sholomba,  and  the 
others,  are  not  only  splendid  paddlers,  but  they  all  swim 
like  fish — a  very  important  thing  for  me  if  we  capsize. 
My  sixteen  men  are  resting  on  their  paddles ;  they  are 
all  looking  outside,  and  watching  the  heavj^  rollers  as 
they  come  in.  Generally  six  of  these  come,  and  then 
there  is  a  kind  of  a  lull.  "  Get  ready !  paddle  hard  !" 
shouted  Oshimbo.  The  men  gave  a  terrific  Commi  hur- 
ra, and  down  went  their  paddles,  and  with  heavy  strokes 
we  got  on  what  we  thought  a  gentle  swell.  We  had 
hardly  got  on  it  when  the  swell  became  higher  and  high- 
er, carrying  us  almost  with  lightning  speed ;  then  it  be- 


AMONG  THE  BREAKERS.  33 

gaii  to  crest  itself;  we  were  caught,  and  finally  were 
dashed  npon  a  white  foaming  wave  with  fearful  force. 
"  Be  careful !"  shouted  Oshimbo.  "Have  your  eyes  uj^on 
our  white  man  !" 

Though  we  did  not  upset,  our  canoe  was  partly  filled 
with  water,  and  the  rush  of  the  wave  had  prevented 
Oshimbo's  paddle  from  acting  as  a  rudder,  and  the  ca- 
noe was  now  lying  broadside  at  the  mercy  of  the  next 
wave  that  should  come. 

''  Hurry !"  shouted  Oshimbo  to  the  men  ;  "  let  ns  bring 
back  the  canoe's  head  on  to  the  waves !"  and  the  men 
put  forth  all  their  might  to  rescue  us  from  our  j^erilous 
position.  Just  as  w^e  had  succeeded  in  bringing  the  ca- 
noe round,  a  second  immense  roller,  coming  from  far 
out  at  sea,  and  mounting  higher  and  higher  as  it  ap- 
proached, threatened  our  destruction.  We  were  in  fear- 
ful suspense.  Perhaps  we  will  be  able  to  ride  npon  it ; 
perhaps  it  will  break  ahead  of  us.  It  was  a  terrific  one. 
My  men  cried  again  with  one  voice,  "  Let  us  look  out 
for  our  white  man  !" 

These  words  were  hardly  uttered  w^hen  the  hnge  wave 
broke  over  the  stern  of  our  canoe  with  appalling  force, 
instantly  upsetting  it  and  hurling  us  into  the  sea,  where 
w^e  were  deeply  submerged  in  the  spray. 

I  do  not  know  how  I  ever  got  back  on  the  surface  of 
the  water,  but  when  I  did  I  was  some  forty  feet  from  the 
canoe,  and  all  the  men  were  scattered  far  and  wide. 

I  was  almost  stunned.  Breaker  upon  breaker  suc- 
ceeded each  other  with  awful  rapidity,  sending  us  rolling 
about  under  them,  and  giving  us  hardly  time  to  breathe. 
The  sea  all  round  became  a  mass  of  foaming  billows. 
By  this  time  all  my  faithful  negroes  were  around  me, 


3 4  THE  CO  UNTR  Y  OF  THE  D  WARES. 

shouting  to  each  otlier, "To  our  ntaiigani — our  iitangani 
(white  man)!"  It  was  indeed  high  time,  for  I  felt  my- 
self sinking.  A  minute  more,  and  I  would  have  sank 
helpless  to  the  hottom  of  the  sea,  never  to  rise  again. 
The  Commi  sw^am  round  me  and  held  me  up,  till  anoth- 
er wave  would  scatter  us  again,  and  then  thej  came  back 
to  my  succor. 

In  spite  of  all  their  efforts,  I  became  w^eaker  and  weak- 
er. They  had  succeeded  in  ridding  me  of  the  greater 
part  of  my  clothing,  but,  notwithstanding  this  relief,  my 
strength  was  fast  failing  me,  and  I  had  drank  large 
quantities  of  salt  water. 

I  cried,  "  Where  is  the  captain  ?  Go  for  him  1"  My 
cry  was  just  in  time,  for  he  was  in  his  last  struggle  for 
life.  Once  we  had  got  hold  of  the  canoe,  but  the  waves 
had  made  us  loose  our  grip.  Loud  shouts  came  from 
the  shore  ;  the  people  were  almost  frantic.  Canoe  after 
canoe  was  launched,  but  only  to  be  swamped  in  the  break- 
ers the  next  instant. 

At  length  the  tumult  of  the  waves  subsided;  there 
(?ame  a  lull,  and  the  rising  tide  had  driven  us  toward  the 
beach.  AYe  were  not  far  from  it,  indeed,  and  now  we 
rested  a  little,  holding  fast  to  our  capsized  canoe. 

At  last  a  canoe  succeeded  in  leaving  the  shore,  and 
came  to  our  rescue.  As  it  reached  us  the  crew  jumped 
into  the  sea  to  give  us  their  places,  and,  in  order  not  to 
load  it  too  heavily,  they  swam  alongside,  holding  fast  to 
it  to  keep  it  steady. 

As  we  neared  the  shore,  the  natives  did  not  wait  for 
me  to  land,  but  ran  into  the  water,  and,  seizing  me,  car- 
ried me  off  in  their  arms,  in  the  midst  of  deafening  cries 
and  cheers,  the  women  wringing  their  hands  and  shout- 


MEETING  EANPANO.  35 

.^,     ^..v>  wanted  ^^  eat  our  white  man;  tlie  sea 

wanted  to  eat  our  white  man." 

The  people  led  nie  into  a  thicket  of  trees,  where  a 
bright  fire  was  lighted,  and  whom  should  I  see  but  King 
Kanpano  seated  on  the  ground,  his  little  idol  before  him, 
his  eyes  shining  with  excitement,  and  his  body  trembling 
all  over.  I  drew  myself  up,  trying  to  look  haughty  and 
displeased. 

"  Kanpano,"  I  said, "  if  any  one  had  told  me  that  you 
did  not  care  for  me,  I  would  not  have  believed  them. 
What !"  said  I, "  every  one  was  on  the  shore  to  see  what 
they  could  do  to  save  us  from  drowning ;  even  your  wife, 
the  queen,  was  there,  and  w^ent  into  the  sea  to  catch  me 
as  we  landed,  and  I  might  have  died  and  been  drowned 
for  all  that  you  cared.  You  were  cold,  and  you  sat  by 
the  fire." 

"  Oh,"  said  Ranpano,  "  my  white  man  die  in  the  wa- 
ter ?  Never,  while  I  am  alive  !  How  could  it  be  ?  how 
could  it  be  ?  Oh  no,  Chally,  you  could  not  be  drowned — 
you  could  not,  my  white  man ;  my  Chally  will  never  die 
in  our  country.  I  have  a  fetich,  and  as  long  as  I  wear 
it  you  can  not  be  drowned.  I  was  talking  to  my  idol ; 
I  was  invoking  before  her  the  spirit  of  my  father  to  pro- 
tect you  in  the  sea.  When  the  waves  were  around  you, 
I  begged  the  idol  to  send  the  sharks  away  from  you.  Oh, 
Chally,  I  would  not  leave  the  idol  for  fear  you  might  per- 
ish. Oh  !"  exclaimed  Ranpano,  with  a  stentorian  voice, 
"there  are  people  already  jealous  of  me  and  of  my  vil- 
lage. Some  ^dllage  has  sent  an  aniemba  to  upset  the 
canoe." 

The  wildest  excitement  prevailed  around  me.  I  was 
partly  stunned,  and  I  liad  drunk  a  great  deal  of  salt  wa- 


3  G  TUE  CO  UNTR  Y  OF  THE  D  WARES. 

ter.  Poor  Captain  Varclon  had  a  narrow  escape,  and,  as 
he  said,  he  was  sinking  when  ni j  boys — my  good  boys — 
clinched  him.  And  once  more  I  thanked  silently  the 
great  God  that  had  watched  so  mercif nlly  over  me. 

After  a  while  I  realized  the  severe  blow  I  had  received 
when  the  great  loss  I  had  sustained  presented  itself  to 
my  mind.  Scientific  instruments,  watch  chronometers, 
medicines,  guns,  musical  instruments,  etc.,  etc.,  had  gone 
to  the  bottom  of  the  sea. 

"  Oh  dear,"  said  I  to  myself, "  I  must  remain  here  on 
this  barren  and  lonely  coast,  and  wait  for  a  vessel  to  come 
back  and  bring  me  new  scientific  instruments,  for  with- 
out them  I  can  not  go  across  the  continent  toward  the 
Nile.  I  wish  to  make  a  good  map  of  the  country,  to 
take  accurate  astronomical  observations,  to  determine 
the  heiirht  of  the  mountains,  and  to  be  able  to  ascertain 
at  any  time  the  day  and  the  month  if  I  should  forget 
their  regular  succession  in  the  calendar,  and,  without  ni}^ 
instruments,  all  this  will  be  impossible." 

I  can  not  tell  you  how  sorry  I  felt.  That  evening  I 
felt  utterly  lieart-broken,  and  I  could  have  cried.  "  But," 
said  I  to  myself, "  to  bear  my  misfortune  with  fortitude 
is  true  manhood ;"  and,  though  it  was  hard  to  believe  it, 
I  knew  that  all  that  had  happened  was  for  the  best. 

Captain».Yardon  felt  a  sincere  sympathy  with  me.  The 
poor  man  was  himself  an  object  of  commiseration,  for  he 
was  so  exhausted  and  had  drank  so  much  water  that  he 
was  quite  ill: 

My  mind  was  made  up,  however,  that  very  day  as  to 
what  I  should  do.  I  must  manage  to  have  a  letter  reach 
the  island  of  Fernando  Po,  and  then  that  letter  would  be 
forwarded  to  London.     That  letter  will  be  for  Messrs. 


RECEPTION  BY  q UENQ UEZA.  3 7 

Baring  Brothers,  and  I  will  ask  them  to  send  inc  a  ves- 
sel Avith  all  I  need. 

The  next  night,  as  I  lay  on  my  hard  bed  pondering 
my  wondrous  escape  from  the  deep  sea,  I  could  not  help 
thinking  bitterly  of  the  heavy  loss  I  had  sustained.  It 
w^as  not  so  much  for  the  large  sum  of  money  that  had 
been  sacrificed,  but  for  the  great  w^aste  of  time  this  ca- 
tastrophe had  entailed  upon  me. 

I  could  not  sleep ;  these  thoughts  kept  me  awake.  I 
turned  from  side  to  side  in  the  hope  that  an  easier  posi- 
tion would  put  me  to  sleep,  but  it  was  of  no  avail,  when 
suddenly  I  heard  the  sound  of  the  natives'  bugles  on  the 
river.  The  people  were  blowing  their  bugles  made  of 
antelopes'  horns,  and  then  I  heard  the  songs  of  a  multi- 
tude of  paddlei-s.  The  sound  became  more  and  more 
distinct  as  the  canoes  neared  my  cabin.  Then  I  could 
hear  distinctly,  "  Quengueza,  our  king,  comes  to  see  his 
great  friend  Chally — Clially,  who  has  returned  from  the 
white  man's  country." 

Soon  after  the  singing  stopped,  and  I  knew  that  they 
had  landed. 

All  my  gloomy  fancies  were  soon  forgotten,  and  I  got 
up  and  dressed  myself  as  quickly  as  possible.  As  I 
opened  my  door,  whom  should  I  see,  as  quiet  as  a  statue 
in  front  of  my  hut,  but  King  Quengueza,  the  venerable 
chief.  He  opened  his  arms  to  receive  me,  and  we  hugged 
each  other  without  saying  a  word.  The  great  and  pow- 
erful African  chief,  the  dread  of  the  surrounding  tribes 
and  clans,  the  great  warrior,  held  me  in  his  arms,  and 
after  a  while  he  said, "  Chally,  I  would  have  staid  before 
your  door  all  night  if  I  had  not  seen  you.  I  could  not 
go  to  sleep  without  em]:)racing  you,  for  you  do  not  know 


3 8  THE  CO  UXTR  T  OF  THE  D  WARES. 

how  much  I  love  you.  You  do  not  knaw  how  many 
times  I  have  thought  of  you,  and  many,  many  times  I 
have  said  to  my  people, '  We  shall  not  see  Chally  again.' 
And  first,  when  Sholomba  told  me  you  had  come,  and 
had  sent  for  me,  I  said, '  Sholomba,  this  is  a  lie ;  Chally 
has  not  come.  Four  rainy  seasons  and  four  dry  seasons 
have  passed  away,  and  if  he  had  intended  coming  he 
would  have  been  here  long  ago.  No,  Sholomba,  why  do 
you  come  and  make  fun  of  me  ?  It  is  a  lie  ;  Chally  has 
not  come — Chally  has  not  come,  and  he  will  not  come 
any  more  to  the  country  of  the  black  man.'  " 

"  Here  I  am,"  I  said, "  friend  Quengueza ;  your  friend 
Chally  is  before  you.  He  has  thought  of  you  many  and 
many  a  time  in  the  white  man's  country ;  he  has  not  for- 
gotten you ;"  and  I  whispered  in  his  ears, "  He  has  brought 
you  a  great  many  fine  things  which  no  black  man  has 
seen  before,  and  which  no  black  man  will  have  but  your- 
self." 

Then  the  old  chief  ordered  his  attendants  to  retire,  and 
when  he  had  entered  my  little  hut  I  lighted  a  torch,  and 
he  looked  at  me  and  I  looked  at  him  without  our  saying 
a  word.  Then  I  seated  myself  on  the  edge  of  my  bed, 
and  the  king  seated  himself  on  the  little  stool  close  to 
me,  and  filled  his  pipe  with  native  Ashira  tobacco,  and 
we  had  a  long  talk. 

I  said, "  Quengueza,  I  have  come.  Since  I  saw  you  a 
great  many  things  have  happened.  I  have  been  in  dif- 
ferent countries  of  the  white  man.  Many  know  you, 
many  love  you,  for  I  have  told  the  white  man  what  great 
friends  we  were — how  much  we  loved  each  other.  I  have 
told  them  how  kind  you  were  to  your  friend  Clially ;  that 
every  thing  he  wanted  you  gave  to  him,  and  tliat  not  one 


A  PALAVER.  39 

of  your  people  ever  took  any  thing  from  Clially — if  lie 
had  he  would  have  had  his  head  cut  off  or  been  sold  into 
slavery.  Many  white  men  and  white  women,  boys  and 
girls,  know  you,  and  I  have  presents  from  them  for  you, 
which  you  shall  see  in  a  few  days.  I  have  told  them 
what  we  did  together,  how  we  went  into  the  woods  to- 
gether, and  how  we  cut  that  big  ebony-tree" — here  I 
stopped  a  while,  and  presently  said,  "  how  I  hope  to  go 
farther  inland  than  I  have  ever  been,  and  will  come  back 
again  by  the  sea." 

Then  I  remained  silent,  and  the  old  chief  rose  up,  the 
shadow  of  his  stately  form  falling  behind  him.  For  a 
few  moments  he  did  not  utter  a  word,  and  then  he  said, 

''  Chally,  my  tov\'n  is  yours ;  my  forests,  my  slaves  are 
yours ;  all  the  girls  and  women  of  my  village  are  yours ; 
I  will  have  no  will  of  my  own  when  you  are  with  me. 
You  shall  be  the  chief,  and  whatever  you  s^y  shall  be 
obeyed.  You  shall  never  know  hunger  as  long  as  there 
is  a  plantain-tree  on  our  plantation,  or  a  wild  animal  in 
the  forests.  And,  Chally,  when  you  shall  say  '  I  must 
go — go  far  away,  where  nobody  has  been,'  I  w^ill  let  you 
go ;  I  will  help  you  to  go,  though  my  heart  will  be  sad 
when  you  depart." 

I  found  Quengueza  still  in  mourning  for  his  brother, 
whom  he  had  succeeded,  and  that  he  had  taken  his  broth- 
er's name,  "  Oganda,"  which  is  the  name  taken  by  every 
chief  of  the  Abouya  clan.  What  a  queer  custom  they 
have !  The  law  of  inheritance  there  is  from  brother  to 
brother,  and  Quengueza's  name  had  been  Ratenou  Kom- 
be  Quengueza,  and  now  came  the  last,  which  he  was  to 
carry  to  his  grave,  Oganda. 

I  said, "Friend  Quengueza,  it  will  l)e  hard  for  me  to 


40  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  HWAMFS. 

call  you  Oganda,  for  the  name  by  which  I  have  learned 
to  love  you  is  Quengueza." 

"  Never  mind,  Chally,  call  me  Quengueza,"  said  he ; 
and,  as  he  left  my  hut,  he  implored  me  once  more  in  a 
whisper  not  to  tell  any  one  that  I  had  brought  him  pres- 
ents, "  for,"  said  he,  "  if  the  people  knew  that  you  had 
brought  me  many  fine  things,  they  would  bewitch  me, 
and  I  should  die." 

I  saw  that  poor  Quengueza  was  as  superstitious  as  ever. 

The  old  chief  then  went  to  the  hut  that  had  been  pre- 
pared for  him  during  his  visit  to  me.  By  this  time  it 
was  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  the  cock  in  the  vil- 
lage had  already  begun  to  crow  when  I  lay  down  to  sleep. 


CHAPTER  lY. 

HONEST  AFRICANS. — DISTRIBUTING  PRESENTS. QTJENGUEZA's 

DIPLOMACY. ANOTHER   PALAVER. A   NEW    SETTLEMENT. 


The  day  after  the  arrival  of  Qiiengiieza,  word  was  sent 
to  me  by  the  canoe-men  on  the  shore  that  the  surf  was 
quiet,  and  that  canoes  could  go  to  sea  and  return  in  per- 
fect safety. 

During  the  day  seven  large  canoes  were  caiTied  over 
the  narrow  tongue  of  land  to  the  beach,  and  twenty-one 
remained  on  the  river-side  to  take  to  my  new  settlement 
the  goods  that  would  be  landed. 

It  was  important  to  expedite  as  much  as  possible  the 
landing  of  the  goods,  for  this  would  only  be  safe  for  a 
few  days,  till  the  change  of  the  moon. 

The  next  morning,  at  daylight,  seven  canoes  left  for 
the  vessel,  and  each  canoe  made  that  day  three  trips,  so 
that  twenty-one  canoe-loads  of  goods  were  landed  and 
carried  across  to  the  canoes  on  the  river.  Then  we  got 
ready  to  go  home,  but  not  before  hauling  high  up  on  the 
beach  our  seven  sea-canoes. 

After  four  days'  hard  work,  seventy  canoe-loads  had 
been  landed,  and  the  cargo  was  all  ashore.  I  breathed 
freely  once  more ;  not  a  load  liad  been  swamped.  We 
]iad  just  finished  wlien  the  breakers  became  dangerous 


42  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

again,  and  in  a  day  or  two  more  it  would  Lave  been  im- 
possible to  go  through  them. 

Not  an  article  was  missing.  Captain  Yardon  was 
amazed.  I  said  to  him,  "  Did  I  not  tell  you  that  my 
Commi  men  would  not  steal  V 

You  would  have  laughed  to  see  the  miscellaneous  arti- 
cles which  formed  part  of  the  cargo.  Many  of  them 
were  specially  manufactured  for  the  African  market, 
and  the  heavy  goods  were  to  be  given  to  Quengueza, 
Ranpano,  Olenga-Yombi,  Obindji,  and  the  chiefs  living 
on  the  banks  of  the  Rembo  and  Ovenga  rivers. 

The  gi-eat  trouble  w^as  to  put  all  the  goods  under  shel- 
ter. They  had  to  be  stored  in  several  huts.  There  were 
no  locks  on  the  doors,  but  I  was  not  afraid  of  the  peo- 
ple, and  my  confidence  was  justified,  for  not  an  article 
w^as  stolen.  Captain  Yardon  wondered  at  it ;  he  had 
been  a  trader  for  a  good  many  years  on  the  Coast,  and 
said  it  w^as  marvelous.  So  it  w^as ;  there  is  no  city  in 
any  Christian  country  where  these  thousands  of  dollars' 
worth  of  goods  could  be  as  safe.  I  loved  the  Commi, 
and  the  Commi  loved  me. 

After  every  thing  liad  been  housed,  I  thought  it  ^vas 
time  to  make  a  distribution  of  the  presents  I  intended 
for  my  friends.  Quengueza's  presents  will  give  you  a 
fair  idea  of  the  articles  I  had  brought  into  the  country. 

So  one  afternoon  I  went  for  friend  Quengueza  when 
every  body  was  taking  their  afternoon  nap.  He  followed 
me,  accompanied  by  several  of  his  great  men,  nephews, 
and  wives ;  for  a  great  king  like  Quengueza  could  not 
walk  alone ;  he  must  have  a  retinue,  or  escort.  Quen- 
gueza was  very  fond  of  this  sort  of  thing,  but  that  day 
he  did  not  like  it  a  bit ;  he  did  not  want  his  people  to 


DISTRIBUTING  PRESENTS.  43 

see  what  I  was  going  to  give  him,  but  he  did  not  dare  to 
send  them  away,  so  he  whispered  into  my  ear,  "  Chally, 
send  them  away  when  you  come  to  your  house,  for  I  do 
not  want  any  body  inside." 

So  I  dismissed  Quengueza's  people,  and,  after  Quen- 
gueza  and  I  had  entered  the  hut,  he  closed  the  door  him- 
self, to  make  sure,  and  peeped  through  the  crevices  to  see 
that  nobody  was  trying  to  look  in.  Then  he  seated  him- 
self and  awaited  developments. 

I  opened  a  chest  tilled  with  presents  for  him.  The 
first  thing  I  displayed  before  his  wide-open  eyes  was  a 
huge  long  coat,  similar  to  those  w^orn  by  the  London 
beadles.  This  coat  had  been  made  specially  for  his  maj- 
esty, and  to  fit  his  tall  figure,  for  Quengueza  was  over 
six  feet  high.  It  was  of  the  most  glaring  colors — blue, 
with  yellow  fringe,  and  lined  with  red.  There  was  also 
a  splendid  plush  waistcoat,  with  big  brass  buttons.  His 
coat  fell  to  his  feet.  I  gave  him  no  pantaloons,  for 
Quengueza  never  liked  to  wear  them. 

After  Quengueza's  admiring  eyes  had  looked  with 
amazement  on  his  splendid  coat  and  bright  yellow  waist- 
coat, he  must  try  them  on ;  but,  before  doing  so,  he  went 
again  to  see  that  no  one  was  peeping  in.  I  wondered 
why  his  majesty,  who  was  a  perfect  despot,  was  so  much 
afraid. 

Having  put  on  his  robe  or  morning-gown,  I  gave  him 
an  enormous  drum-major's  cane,  with  a  tremendous  gild- 
ed head,  to  be  used  as  a  staff.*  He  stiffened  himself  at 
the  sight,  and  asked  for  a  looking-glass,  in  w4iich  he  re- 
garded himself  with  an  air  of  supreme  satisfaction.  Tlien 
I  took  out  of  my  trunk  my  opera  hat,  which  of  course 
*  Sec  Frontispiece. 


44  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

was  flat  when  shut  up,  and  gave  it  a  slight  punch,  when 
the  springs  immediately  threw  it  out  into  the  shape  of  a 
splendid  stove-pvpe  hat^  to  the  utter  astonishment  and  be- 
wilderment of  King  Quengueza.  Then  I  put  the  hat  on 
"his  head,  and  his  majesty  walked  to  and  fro,  drawing 
himself  to  his  full  height.  After  some  minutes  he  took 
off  his  imperial  costume,  putting  the  clothes  back  in  the 
chest  where  they  came  from,  and  proceeded  to  inspect 
the  otlier  presents,  among  which  were 

6  pieces  of  silk,  of  different  colors. 

100  pieces  of  calico  prints. 

6  silver  spoons,  knives,  and  forks. 

1  silver  goblet. 

1  magnificent  red,  blue,  and  yellow  silk  umbrella. 

Among  the  larger  articles  were 

1  common  brass  kettle. 
.  100  iron  bars,  6  feet  long.  If  wide. 

50  large  copper  plates  24  inches  in  diameter. 

50  small  brass  kettles. 

50  iron  pots. 

50  guns. 

50  kegs  of  powder, 

25  wash-basins. 

12  dozen  plates. 

6  dozen  glasses. 

300  pounds  of  beads,  of  different  colors  and  sizes. 

60  pine  chests. 

200  pairs  of  ear-rings  f-or  his  wives. 

Several  chests  containing  trinkets,  mirrors,  files,  forks, 
knives,  etc. 

A  chest  filled  with  nice  presents  sent  to  him  by  some 
of  my  friends. 


Q  UENG  UEZA'S  DIPL  03IA  CY.  45 

The  chests  were  his  delight,  for  the  wealth  of  a  king- 
here  is  composed  chiefly  of  chests,  which,  of  course,  are 
supposed  to  be  filled  with  goods. 

King  Qiiengueza  never  thought  that  his  friend  Chally 
would  have  remembered  him  so  profitably. 

After  showing  him  all  these  things,  I  made  him  a 
speech,  and  said,  in  a  low  tone,  "  Quengueza,  Chally  has 
a  heart  (ore'ma) ;  he  has  a  heart  that  loves  you.  AVlien 
he  left  you  the  last  time  he  was  poor,  and  had  nothing  to 
give  you,  but  you  loved  him  the  same  as  if  he  had  pos- 
sessed a  thousand  chests  filled  with  goods.  Now  he  is 
rich,  and  has  just  come  back  from  the  white  man's  coun- 
try, and  he  brings  you  all  these  fine  presents,  for  Chally 
loves  you ;"  and  when  I  said  "  loves  you"  I  looked  at  him 
steadily  in  the  face.  The  sight  of  all  this  wealth  had 
almost  dumbfounded  the  old  man,  and  for  a  while  he 
could  not  speak.     Finally  he  said, 

"  Do  you  love  me,  Chally  ?  If  you  do,  do  not  tell  the 
people  what  you  have  given  me,  or  they  will  bewitch  me 
to  have  my  property." 

The  fear  of  witchcraft  was  a  great  defect  in  the  char- 
acter of  poor  Quengueza.  He  was  always  in  dread  of 
being  bewitched,  and  consequently  of  dying. 

Then  he  knelt  down  and  clasped  my  feet  with  his 
hands,  and,  with  his  face  distorted  by  fear,  begged  me 
again  not  to  tell  any  body  in  the  country  what  I  had 
o-iven  him.  This  takins;  hold  of  a  man's  feet  is  the  most 
imploring  way  of  asking  a  favor;  it  was  tlie  first  time 
in  liis  life  that  Quengueza,  the  great  chief  of  the  Abouya 
clan,  had  done  such  a  thing.  I  promised  him,  of  course, 
never  to  tell  any  thing  to  his  people. 

After  a  while  he  went  away,  and  his  subjects  crowded 


4 6  THE  CO  UNTR  Y  OF  THE  D  WARES. 

round  him,  expecting  fully  to  hear  what  fine  things  his 
friend  Clially  had  brought  him,  when  I  heard  him  shout, 
with  the  loudest  voice  he  could  summon, 

"  My  friend  Chally  knows  nothing  but  talk,  and  has 
brought  me  nothing."  Coming  toward  me,  he  repeated 
the  statement  just  as  loudly,  and  looked  at  me  at  the 
same  time  with  an  imploring  sort  of  a  look,  as  if  to  say, 
"  Do  not  say  any  thing."  But  Quengueza's  people  knew 
me  better;  they  knew  very  well  that  Chally,  the  great 
friend  of  Quengueza,  would  not  come  back  from  the 
white  man's  country  without  bringing  him  something, 
and  they  were  smiling  all  the  while,  for  they  were  well 
acquainted  with  the  ways  of  their  beloved  old  chief,  who 
was  a  miser,  and  never  wanted  his  people  to  know  what 
he  possessed.     I  kept  his  presents  till  his  departure. 

I  gave  presents  also  to  good  old  Kanpano,  to  the  chiefs 
that  had  come  to  see  me,  to  their  wives,  and  to  my  old 
friends,  and  then  the  people  returned  to  their  different 
villages.  Quengueza's  people  were  busy  every  day  col- 
lecting the  long  bamboo-like  branches  of  palm-trees  for 
my  new  settlement,  which  they  were  to  build  for  me. 

Before  the  departure  of  the  chiefs,  I  assembled  them, 
and  we  held  a  grand  palaver,  at  which  they  agreed  that 
the  Mentor  should  not  leave  their  country  until  Xhey  had 
laden  her  with  their  products  —  woods,  India-rubber^ 
ivory,  wax,  etc. 

The  night  Quengueza  took  leave  his  confidential  slaves 
were  busy  taking  his  presents  from  my  hut  to  the  large 
canoes  they  had  with  them,  which  having  been  safely  ac- 
complished, they  departed  before  daylight.  Quengueza 
threatened  with  death  any  one  of  his  men  who  should 
say  a  w^ord  of  what  had  passed. 


A  NEW  SETTLEMENT.  47 

Then,  for  the  first  time  since  my  arrival,  it  looked  as  if 
I  was  going  to  have  a  quiet  time.  I  was  glad  of  it,  for  I 
had  been  ill  with  fever,  and  wanted  rest  and  quiet  in  or- 
der to  get  well.  Old  Kanpano  would  stay  for  hours  by 
my  bedside,  hardly  ever  uttering  a  word,  but  I  could  see 
by  his  face  that  the  old  man  felt  anxiety  on  my  account. 
He  would  say  sometimes,  "  Chally,  Chally,  you  must  not 
be  ill ;  none  of  my  people  want  to  see  you  ill.  I  love 
you ;  we  all  love  you ;"  and  when  he  went  away  he  mut- 
tered words  which  no  doubt  were  invocations  to  spirits, 
for  Ranpano,  like  the  rest  of  his  people,  w^as  very  super- 
stitious. 

The  superstition  of  the  natives  being  so  great  about 
the  site  of  my  old  settlement  of  Washington,  I  found  it 
was  impossible  to  build  there  again.  Not  far  from  it 
there  was  a  nice  spot,  just  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  which 
I  liked  very  much ;  but  at  that  spot  there  was  a  little 
Commi  village,  whose  chief  was  called  Itabolo.  The  only 
thing  to  be  done  was  to  buy  Rabolo  out,  and  I  succeeded 
in  purchasing  the  whole  village  for  several  guns,  some 
kegs  of  powder,  a  brass  kettle,  a  few  brass  rings  and  iron 
bars,  and  two  or  three  pieces  of  cloth.  I  allowed  the 
people  to  take  the  houses  away  with  them,  and  I  set  to 
work  immediately  to  build  my  new  settlement. 

Qnengueza's  people  went  at  it  vigorously,  and,  with 
the  help  of  Ranpano's  people,  we  began  building  in  ear- 
nest. Captain  Yardon,  myself,  and  a  negro  being  the  car- 
penters. The  doors  and  windows  we  made  with  the  bot- 
toms of  large  canoes. 

The  smaller  buildings  were  soon  finished,  and  the  peo- 
ple were  hard  at  work  on  my  large  dwelling-house ;  but 
when  we  came  to  the  veranda,  and  the  posts  had  to  be 

C 


4  8  THE  CO  UNTR  Y  OF  THE  I)  1  VAJiFS. 

put  in  the  ground,  my  men  were  suddenly  seized  with 
fear. 

There  was  in  the  ground  a  formidable  ononda,  or  fetich, 
which  my  friend  Eabolo  had  buried  in  his  village  before 
I  purchased  it,  and  which  happened  to  be  exactly  upon 
the  site  of  my  house,  and  almost  in  front  of  my  door. 

Poor  Kabolo  had  never  dreamed  that  I  Avould  build 
my  house  just  on  that  very  spot. 

Eabolo  was  not  in  town,  and  the  builders  did  not  dare 
to  remove  the  raonda,  declaring  that  there  would  be  a 
great  palaver  if  they  touched  Rabolo's  monda ;  "  for," 
said  they,  "  Rabolo's  monda,  which  he  has  put  in  the 
ground,  is  a  very  good  one ;  for,  since  his  village  has  been 
established,  twelve  dry  and  twelve  rainy  seasons  ago,  no 
one  has  died  there."  This  was  no  great  monda  after  all, 
for  Rabolo's  village  was  only  composed  of  his  family, 
and  there  were  fifteen  inhabitants  in  all,  not  includiug 
the  dogs,  goats,  fowls,  and  parrots. 

Rabolo  was  sent  for.  He  was  loth  to  agree  to  have 
the  monda  removed ;  "  for,"  said  he,  "  not  one  of  us  has 
died  since  I  made  it.  You  can  not  take  it."  "  Then," 
said  I, "  Rabolo,  give  me  back  the  goods  I  have  given 
you ;  I  must  go  somewhere  else."  But  poor  Rabolo  had 
given  away  the  goods — had  bought  two  more  wives — and 
could  not  give  me  back  my  money.  I  knew  it,  and  was 
firm.  I  insisted  that  the  whole  place  belonged  to  me ; 
that  I  bought  it,  above  the  ground  and  under  the  ground, 
to  the  very  water's  edge.  So  at  last  Rabolo,  with  a  sad 
face,  consented  to  have  the  monda  removed. 

To  enter  Rabolo's  settlement  you  had  to  go  under  a 
portal,  which  was  made  of  two  upright  poles  and  a  cross- 
bar.    Round  the  poles  grew  a  talismanic  creeper,  which 


RABOLO'S  MONBA.  49 

had  been  planted  innuediately  after  the  queer  gate  had 
been  erected  ;  but  at  the  erection  of  the  gate  there  were 
great  ceremonies,  for  Rabolo's  powerful  monda  was  to  be 
buried  in  the  ground,  and  that  monda  was  to  protect  the 
village,  and  Rabolo  and  his  family,  from  aniemba  (witch- 
craft) and  death ;  so  I  did  not  wonder  that  it  was  with  a 
frightened  face  poor  Kabolo  allowed  me  to  take  away 
what  he  considered  the  protector  of  himself  and  family. 

Rabolo  was  a  quiet  man — a  good  man;  not  a  blood- 
thirsty savage.  His  little  village  lived  at  peace  with  all 
the  Commi  villages  around  him. 

Eabolo  asked  to  be  allowed  to  take  the  monda  away 
himself.  This  I  granted.  Then  he  began  to  cut  the 
bushes  and  the  creeper,  which  was  of  the  same  kind  that 
grew  on  the  gate,  that  in  the  course  of  time  had  grown 
over  his  talisman,  and,  digging  a  hole  in  the  ground,  soon 
came  to  the  spot  where  the  wonderful  monda  lay.  The 
first  thing  he  turned  up  was  the  skull  of  a  chimpanzee ; 
then  came  the  skull  of  a  man,  probably  of  one  of  the  an- 
cestors of  Rabolo.  The  people  were  looking  in  silence 
at  the  scene  before  them ;  they  seemed  to  think  that  Ea- 
bolo was  doing  a  wonderful  thing,  and  some  thought  that 
he  would  have  to  pay  with  his  life  for  his  daring  deed. 
Poor  superstitious  fellow  !  around  the  skulls  were  pieces 
of  pottery  and  crockery  of  all  sorts,  which  had  been  put 
there  as  an  offering,  or  to  keep  company  with  the  skulls. 

Then  w^e  went  to  the  entrance,  and  he  removed  the  up- 
right posts  of  the  gate,  and  cut  away  the  creeper  that 
twined  itself  around  it.  This  creeper  was  a  long-lived 
species,  and  the  superstition  was  that  as  long  as  it  kept 
alive  the  monda  would  retain  its  power.  Rabolo  dug  in 
the  sandy  soil  of  the  prairie  near  where  the  creeper  grow. 


50  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

and  turned  up  more  skulls  of  chimpanzees  and  broken 
pieces  of  pottery.  The  two  idols  on  either  side  of  the 
gate  were  reinoved  also. 

A  few  days  after,  I  heard  the  people  say  that  it  was 
Rabolo's  monda  that  had  made  me  come  to  that  spot ; 
for  they  believe,  in  that  far-away  country  which  is  the 
land  of  the  chimpanzee,  that  the  chimpanzee  and  the 
white  man  have  something  to  do  with  each  other,  the 
pale  yellow  face  of  the  chimpanzee  seeming  somewhat 
to  resemble  ours,  while  the  dark  face  of  the  gorilla  leads 
them  to  believe  that  the  gorilla  sprung  from  the  black 
man.  Skulls  of  chimpanzees  were  just  now  in  great  de- 
mand, as  mondas  were  to  be  made  with  them  in  many 
villages,  for  they  were  fully  persuaded  that  if  they  had 
them  people  from  the  land  of  the  white  man  would  come 
and  settle  among  them. 

Four  weeks  after  my  arrival  in  the  Commi  country  my 
new  settlement  was  built,  and  was  exactly  like  my  old 
settlement  of  Washington,  a  picture  of  which  I  gave  you 
in  my  Apingi  Kingdom,  and  I  gave  to  it  the  name  of 
Plateau,  on  account  of  the  country  being  flat. 

After  the  completion  of  my  house  there  was  great  ex- 
citement in  the  settlement.  Ranpano  had  declared  that 
he  could  not  enter  my  house  ;  a  doctor  had  told  him  that 
some  person  who  was  an  aniemba,  a  wizard,  had  made  a 
monda,  a  charm,  and  had  put  it  under  the  threshold  of 
the  door  of  my  house,  so  that  if  lie  entered  my  hut  the 
witch  or  aniemba  would  go  into  him,  and  he  would  die. 

I  got  furious  at  Ranpano's  superstition,  and  said  to  him 
that,  while  he  pretended  to  love  me,  he  insulted  me  by 
not  comins:  to  see  me.  His  answer  was  that  he  loved 
me.     His  people  felt  badly  about  it.     Doctors  were  sent 


liAXPANO'S  SUPERSTITION.  51 

for ;  they  drank  the  mboundoii,  and  declared  that  it  was 
true  that  some  one  wanted  to  bewitch  him,  and  had  put 
a  monda  under  my  door  to  kill  him. 

Immediately  ceremonies  for  driving  away  the  witch 
were  begun.  For  tln-ee  days  they  danced  almost  inces- 
santly, making  a  terrible  noise  near  my  premises,  which 
almost  set  me  crazy ;  drums  were  beating  day  and  night. 
At  the  end  of  the  third  day  I  heard  suddenly  a  tremen- 
dous noise  made  with  the  drums,  and  a  gun  w^as  fired  at 
my  door.  Eanpano  entered  muttering  invocations,  and 
wild  with  excitement,  and  the  people  declared  that  the 
aniemba  under  my  door  that  was  to  kill  tlie  king  liad 
been  driven  away. 


CHAPTEE  Y. 


DEPARTUEE  OF  THE  MENTOR. MR.  AND  IVIES.  THOMAS  CHIM- 
PANZEE.  TH0:MAS    in  LONDON. LEFT  ALONE   IN  AFRICA. 

DEPARTURE     FROM     PLATEAU. A    TORNADO. NENGUE 

SHIEA.. TRACES     OF    GORILLAS. NENGUE    NCOMA. KING 

OLENGA-YOMBI. THE   IPL 

The  day  of  departure  of  the  Mentor  had  come.  My 
heart  was  heavy ;  my  good  friend  and  companion,  Cap- 
tain Yardon,  was  going  to  leave  me.  I  was  to  be  left  all 
alone  in  that  wild  country,  when  but  a  few  months  be- 
fore I  had  been  in  the  big  city  of  London.  How  lonely 
I  should  feel !     My  old  life  was  to  come  again. 

It  was  the  18th  of  January,  1864.  I  remember  well 
the  day,  for  I  left  the  shore  with  Captain  Yardon  to  go 
on  board  the  Mentor,  which  w^as  to  sail  that  day  for  Lon- 
don. 

Captain  Yardon  and  I  did  not  talk  much — our  hearts 
were  too  full;  but  the  good  captain  kept  repeating  to 
me,  "  My  dear  good  friend,  I  do  not  like  to  leave  you  in 
this  wild  part  of  the  world  all  alone ;  who  will  take  care 
of  you  wlien  you  are  sick  ?" 

"  Captain,"  I  said, "  God  will  take  care  of  me." 

Soon  after  we  reached  the  vessel  the  anchor  was 
weighed,  the  sails  were  shaken  out,  the  jibs  were  set, 
and  the  schooner  began  to  make  a  little  headway. 


DEPARTURE  OE  THE  MENTOR.  53 

I  was  loth  to  part  with  the  dear  little  schooner  Mentor, 
for  I  knew  I  should  never  see  it  again,  and  perhaps  I 
should  never  see  good  Captain  Yardon  again. 

When  the  moment  of  parting  arrived,  my  negroes 
stood  ready  to  receive  me  in  their  canoe  alongside.  I 
took  Captain  Yardon  by  the  hand  for  a  little  time ;  we 
looked  each  other  in  the  face  without  saying  a  word ; 
our  eyes  were  big — a  little  more,  and  tears  would  have 
rolled  from  them.  I  w^ent  over  the  vessel's  side.  Captain 
Yardon  still  holding  my  hand,  and  began  to  descend  the 
stairs  into  the  canoe,  w^hen  the  captain  was  obliged  to  let 
my  hand  go.  In  a  minute  I  was  in  the  canoe ;  the  ca- 
noe and  the  vessel  parted  company,  and  the  distance  be- 
tween them  began  rapidly  to  widen.  My  men  gave  three 
cheers  for  the  Mentor ;  the  sailors  responded,  all  stand- 
ing by  the  bulwarks  looking  at  me. 

Captain  Yardon  had  on  board  with  him  as  passenger: 
two  chimpanzees,  Thomas,  and  his  wife  Mrs.  Thomas. 
Thomas  was,  I  judge,  about  three  years  old,  and  Mrs. 
Thomas  might  have  been  a  year  old.  Mr.  Thomas  was 
a  tricky  little  rascal,  and  I  had  any  amount  of  fun  with 
him.    lie  was  very  tame,  like  all  tlie  young  chimpanzees. 

Thomas's  capture  was  attended  with  adventures.  He 
was  with  his  mother  in  the  woods;  the  mother  was  killed, 
and  Thomas  was  seized  and  brought  to  the  village  two 
days  after.  Before  he  w^as  tamed  he  escaped  into  the  for- 
est. The  dogs  were  sent  after  him,  and  he  was  speedily 
retaken,  but  not  without  his  having  bitten  the  dogs  and 
been  severely  bitten  by  them  in  return.  Several  of  his 
fingers  were  broken,  and  upon  knitting  together  they  left 
his  hand  in  a  distorted  condition. 

I  was  comi)elled  to  keep  Master  Tom  tied,  for  after 


54  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

he  was  quite  tame  he  became  very  troublesome,  and 
would  go  into  my  hut  and  disturb  every  thing.  He 
would  upset  the  plates,  break  the  glasses,  and  when  he 
saw  the  mischief  he  had  done  he  would  run  off,  and  that 
was  the  last  seen  of  him  for  the  day.  So  I  tied  him  by 
a  cord  to  a  pole  under  the  veranda  of  my  hut,  and  at  the 
foot  of  the  pole  I  built  a  little  house,  into  which  he  could 
retire  when  he  pleased.  Every  day  it  was  tilled  with  fresh 
straw  from  the  prairie,  and  he  enjoyed  it  very  much,  and 
loved  to  sleep  on  it. 

Every  thing  I  ate  Tom  would  eat ;  every  thing  I  drank 
Tom  would  drink ;  tea,  coffee,  lemonade  were  drinks  he 
liked  very  much.  He  would  eat  fish,  crocodile,  turtle, 
elephant,  hippopotamus,  chicken,  bananas,  plantains,  bis- 
cuit, etc.,  etc. 

Among  the  pets  I  had  with  me  was  a  cat.  One  day 
the  cat  came  near  Tom's  pole,  when  suddenly  Master 
Tom,  who  had  never  seen  a  cat,  few  in  alarm  to  his  pole, 
and  clambered  up  it,  the  hair  on  his  body  becoming  erect, 
and  his  eyes  glaring  with  excitement.  He  really  looked 
like  a  porcupine-chimpanzee,  such  as  I  had  never  seen 
before. 

In  a  moment,  recovering  himself,  he  came  down,  and, 
rushing  to  the  cat  before  pussy  had  time  to  run  away, 
with  one  of  his  feet-like  hands  he  seized  the  nap  of  the 
animal,  and  with  the  other  pressed  on  its  back,  as  if  try- 
ing to  break  its  neck  or  spine.  He  was  jerking  the  poor 
cat  as  hard  as  he  could  when  I  came  to  the  rescue — just 
in  time,  for  I  am  sure,  if  the  struggle  had  lasted  two  or 
three  minutes  more,  the  cat  would  have  been  killed. 
Tlie  poor  cat  could  not  turn  its  head  and  bite,  nor  use  its 
paws  for  scratching,  and  was,  indeed,  utterly  helpless. 


MB.  AND  MRS.  THOMAS  CHIMPANZEE.  55 

The  big  chimpanzees  and  the  gorillas  are  said  to  fight 
the  formidable  leopard  in  that  manner.  It  must  be  a 
grand  sight  to  see  such  an  encounter. 

One  day,  while  hunting,  my  dogs  captured  another 
young  cliimpanzee,  which  I  gave  to  Master  Tom  for  a 
wife.  He  seemed  exceedingly  fond  of  her,  and  would 
spend  the  greater  part  of  his  time  in  embracing  her. 
Their  married  life  appeared  one  of  unalloyed  happiness. 
Unfortunately,  Mrs.  Thomas  was  never  very  strong,  and 
she  died  of  consumption  on  the  passage,  to  the  great  sor- 
row of  Mr.  Thomas,  who  felt  very  sad  for  a  good  many 
days  after  her  death. 

I  am  happy  to  say  that  Mr.  Thomas  reached  London 
in  very  good  health,  in  the  beginning  of  the  year  1864, 
and  was  presented  in  my  name  to  the  Crystal  Palace  at 
Sydenham,  near  London,  by  Captain  Yardon. 

There  he  received  a  complete  education ;  a  nice  place 
was  built  for  him  in  the  conservatory,  where  the  exotic 
plants  grew  well,  and  there,  for  the  sum  of  sixpence,  he 
w^ould  sell  his  photograph  to  any  one  who  chose  to  buy 
it.  His  principle  was,  money  first,  carte  de  visite  after- 
ward ;  and  if,  perchance,  any  visitor  took  off  his  carte  de 
visite  without  paying  for  it,  he  would  rush  forward, 
screaming,  to  the  length  of  his  tether,  to  prevent  this  ir- 
regular transaction,  and  would  not  cease  his  noisy  ex- 
pressions till  the  money  was  paid  dowai.  Then  he  would 
give  a  low  grunt  in  sign  of  satisfaction. 

Thomas  thrived  well  there,  and  there  was  a  prospect 
of  his  living  many  years ;  but  he  met  with  an  untimely 
end  when  the  Crystal  Palace  burnt.  The  poor  fellow 
met  his  death  in  the  flames,  but  not  befoi*e  giving  the 
most  fearful  screams  of  despair,  which  were  unavailing, 

since  no  one  could  reach  him. 

C2 


56  THE  COUXTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

The  breeze  was  stiff,  and  carried  the  Mentor  swiftly 
away  from  the  shore  as  we  paddled  toward  the  breakers. 
I  turned  my  head  back  now  and  tlien  to  have  a  look  at 
the  dear  little  schooner. 

We  passed  safely  through  the  breakers,  and  after  land- 
ing I  seated  myself  to  look  for  the  last  time  at  the  ves- 
sel as  she  glided  away ;  fainter  and  fainter  became  the 
sails,  till  finally  I  could  see  nothing  but  the  horizon. 

I  tore  myself  from  the  shore.  How  sad  I  was  that 
evening !  "  How  long,"  thought  I, "  shall  I  have  to  wait 
for  a  vessel  to  come  to  me  ?  Oh  dear,  I  hope  the  Messrs. 
Baring  will  send  me  one,  with  scientific  instruments ; 
then  I  shall  start  on  that  long  jom-ney  to  the  Nile,  from 
which,  perhaps,  I  shall  never  come  back.  Never  mind," 
said  I, "  friend  Paul,  try  your  best.  If  you  do  not  suc- 
ceed, it  is  no  disgrace." 

I  lay  down  to  sleep  sad  and  dejected  indeed.  That 
night  I  dreamed  of  my  departed  mother  and  father.  I 
dreamed  of  dear  friends — of  girls  and  boys,  the  compan- 
ions of  my  school-days,  that  were  no  more — of  days  when 
I  was  happy  and  without  a  care.  That  dream  was  so 
pleasurable  that  it  awoke  me.  As  my  eyes  opened,  the 
walls  of  bamboo,  the  queer  bed,  told  me  that  I  was  in  a 
wild  country.  I  got  up  feeling  feverish  and  sick  at 
heart  in  my  loneliness,  to  which  I  was  not  yet  accus- 
tomed. 

That  day  I  said  to  myself, "  Paul,  several  weary  months 
will  pass  away  before  a  vessel  can  come  for  you,  so  take 
courage,  go  hunting,  visit  the  country  round,  and  do  the 
best  you  can  to  while  away  the  time.  Keep  up  your 
spirits ;  faint  heart  has  never  yet  succeeded  ;"  and  toward 
evening  I  felt  more  cheerful,  and  chatted  with  my  Com- 


DEPARTURE  FROM  PL  A  TEA  U.  57 

mi  men,  and  afterward  said  to  myself,  ^'IIow  grateful  I 
ought  to  be  that  I  can  feel  so  safe  in  such  a  wild  coun- 
try ;  that  I  have  so  many  friends  among  the  natives ;  and 
tliat  there  is  not  a  man  of  them  all  who  would  dare  to 
rob  me !  Surely,"  I  reflected,  "  there  is  not  a  civilized 
country  where  I  could  be  as  safe ;  the  robbers  of  civili- 
zation would  break  through  these  thin  walls,  and  steal 
every  thing  I  have."  The  next  day  I  put  into  practice 
the  resolution  I  had  formed,  and  made  preparations  for 
a  journey.     I  wanted  to  visit  many  Commi  villages. 

My  premises  w^ere  filled  with  goods  under  the 'care  of 
the  Commi.  "  Be  without  fear,"  said  good  old  Ranpano ; 
"  every  thing  will  be  safe  when  you  come  back.  Ma- 
longa,  my  brother,  will  take  care  of  your  premises  as 
did  Rikimongani,"  So  I  set  out  and  advanced  toward 
Cape  St.  Catharine,  for  I  intended  to  make  a  visit  first  to 
my  old  friend  King  Olenga-Yombi,  with  whom  you  have 
become  acquainted  in  one  of  my  preceding  volumes. 

It  was  a  fine  evening  when  we  left  Plateau.  We 
were  now  in  the  height  of  the  rainy  season,  and  it  was 
so  hot  in  the  day  that  I  thought  we  might  sail  more  com- 
fortably on  the  river  at  night.  We  were  pretty  sure  to 
get  a  ducking,  but  I  thought  it  w^as  better  to  get  wet  than 
to  have  the  rays  of  a  tropical  sun  pouring  down  on  our 
heads.  Malonga  (Eanpano's  brother)  and  my  men  had 
been  busy  making  mondas  to  keep  the  rain  off,  and  as 
we  left  the  shore  old  Malonga  said  we  should  have  cleai* 
weather.  In  this  country,  unlike  South  Africa,  the  doc- 
tors are  unmakers,  and  not  makers  of  rain. 

The  evening,  indeed,  was  fine,  and  I  began  to  think 
tliat  Malonga,  after  all,  might  be  right ;  the  moon  shone 
in  an  almost  cloudless  sky;  but  after  \he  setting  of  the 


58  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWAIiFS. 

moon  at  10  o'clock,  a  thick  black  cloud  rose  in  the  north- 
east, and  we  began  to  feel  not  so  sure  about  a  dry  night. 
I  was  watching  all  the  time  anxiously  in  that  northeast- 
ern direction,  for  I  was  afraid  a  tornado  was  coming.  We 
were  in  the  season  of  the  tornadoes,  and  a  constant  look- 
out had  to  be  kept,  for  it  would  never  have  done  to  have 
been  caught  napj)ing.  The  flashes  of  lightning  became 
more  and  more  vivid  as  we  skirted  the  river  bank,  pad- 
dling as  fast  as  we  could,  and  looking  for  a  quiet  little 
nook ;  and  we  were  getting  near  one,  when  suddenly  a 
white  jTatcli  shone  under  the  black  mass  in  the  heavens. 
In  an  instant  that  black  mass  overspread  the  sky ;  the 
part  which  a  little  before  w^as  blue  had  become  black 
and  lurid  ;  the  clouds  drove  from  the  northeast  with  fear- 
ful rapidity,  and  all  above  seemed  to  be  in  a  blaze  with 
lightning ;  the  thunder  pealed  incessantly,  and  the  rain 
poured  down,  as  it  were,  by  bucketsf  ul.  Our  canoes  were 
driven  ashore  by  the  force  of  the  terrific  wind,  and  we 
immediately  hauled  them  out  of  w^ater,  although  it  was 
pitch  dark,  and  we  could  only  see  each  other  by  the  glare 
of  the  lightning.  I^ear  by  was  a  little  village  composed 
of  a  few  huts,  and  we  made  for  it,  but  found  only  a  few 
women,  and  not  wood  enough  for  a  fire,  in  consequence 
of  which  I  had  to  remain  all  night  wet  to  the  skin. 

The  next  morning  the  sky  was  clear  and  the  sun 
rose  beautifully,  and  soon  after  sunrise  you  could  have 
heard  the  paddlers  sing  merry  songs  of  the  Commi.  We 
ascended  the  river  till  we  came  to  the  island  of  Nengue 
Shika.  Kengue,  as  you  know,  means  an  island;  you 
may  perhaps  remember  Nengue  Ngozo.  Shika  means 
white,  silverlike.  After  paddling  along  the  shore  of 
lN"engue  Shika,  which  was  covered  with  palm-trees,  we 


TJiACES  OF  GORILLAS.  59 

made  for  the  main  land,  toward  the  banks  of  a  little 
creek  over  which  swallows  were  flying.  It  was  a  sweet 
spot,  of  prairie  and  luxuriant  wood.  There  a  shed  had 
been  built  for  me  by  our  old  friend  King  Olenga-Yombi, 
and  many  of  his  slaves  were  w^aiting  for  me  with  a  goat, 
a  few  fowls,  several  bunches  of  bananas  and  plantains. 
The  king  had  sent  these  provisions  and  his  best  Welshes 
for  good  luck  in  my  hunts,  and  a  message  that  I  must 
come  and  see  him  when  I  w^as  tired  of  the  woods. 

Not  far  from  our  camp  there  were  several  "  ivolos" — 
wooded  bogs ;  there  the  vegetation  was  very  rank,  and 
these  bogs  were  known  to  be  the  haunts  of  the  gorilla. 
That  day  we  rested  in  camp,  and  the  next  morning  we 
started  with  two  native  dogs  for  the  ivolos.  It  was  very 
hard  work;  we  had  to  struggle  through  the  thorny  and 
swampy  thickets  for  a  long  time,  and  now  and  then  we 
would  sink  knee-deep  in  the  mud.  My  followers  were 
slaves  of  King  Olenga-Yombi.  Hark  !  hark !  I  hear  a 
noise  as  if  some  one  was  breaking  the  branches  of  trees. 
I  gave  a  cluck ;  I  looked  at  the  men  behind.  This  noise 
was  made  by  gorillas.  Silence.  My  gun  is  ready ;  I 
advance,  but  it  is  all  I  can  do  to  keep  the  dogs  in  check. 
The  creatures  of  the  woods  w^ere  tearing  down  branches 
to  pick  off  the  berries.  Unfortunately,  one  of  the  dogs 
broke  from  us.  I  heard  a  shriek — a  sharp  cry ;  the  go- 
rillas fled ;  they  were  females,  but  the  men  assured  me 
the  males  could  not  be  far  off.  This  was,  beyond  all 
doubt,  the  spot  for  gorillas.  I  could  see  many  of  their 
footmarks  on  the  soft  mud ;  their  heels  were  well  mark- 
ed, but  their  toes  were  hardly  seen.  Where  they  had 
been  on  all-fours  I  could  see  tlie  marks  of  their  knuckles. 

But  that  day  I  could  not  come  in  sight  of  gorillas. 


00  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

The  following  day  I  hunted  near  the  sea-shore,  from 
which  I  then  concluded  to  go  to  Amembiu  to  see  Olen- 
ga-Yombi. 

On  our  way  we  passed  by  an  island  of  trees  growing 
in  the  midst  of  the  prairie.  That  island  is  called  "  Nen- 
gue  Ncoma."  The  people  are  afraid  of  Nengue  IS'coma, 
and  at  night  nobody  would  dare  to  pass  by  it;  and, 
though  we  were  far  away,  my  men  looked  at  it  with  su- 
perstitious dread,  and  quickened  their  steps.  "  Oh,"  said 
one  of  my  guides,  "  whoever  enters  this  island  is  likely 
to  die  suddenly  in  it;  if  he  does  not  die  he  becomes 
crazy,  and  roams  about  till  he  dies.  There  is  a  woman 
that  we  see  now  and  then,  crazy  and  wandering  all  over 
it.  In  this  island  of  Kengue  Ncoma  lives  a  crocodile, 
whose  scales  are  of  brass,  that  never  leaves  the  island ; 
lie  lives  in  the  centre  of  it ;  no  gun  can  kill  that  croco- 
dile." 

"  It  is  a  lie !"  I  shouted ;  "  how  foolish  you  are,  my 
boys,  to  believe  such  things !  To  show  you  that  it  is  a 
lie,  I  will  enter  that  island  of  Nengue  lN"coma,"  and  I 
rushed,  gun  in  hand,  toward  the  island.  A  wild  shriek 
came  from  the  men.  They  shouted, "  Oh,  Ch ally,  do  not 
go."  They  did  not  dare  to  follow  me.  A  little  while 
after  I  touched  the  branches  of  the  trees  of  Nengud 
N"coma,  but  before  I  entered  I  turned  back  and  looked 
toward  the  men,  and  as  I  looked  at  them  I  saw  them 
mute  with  astonishment ;  and  as  I  turned  my  back  and 
entered  the  wood,  terrific  cries  rent  the  air.  They  thought 
it  was  the  last  they  should  see  of  me.  Surely  the  croco- 
dile with  brass  scales  would  kill  me,  who  dared  to  go 
into  that  island  of  which  he  was  the  king  and  sole  inhab- 
itant. 


.1   TirSY  KISG. 


I  walked  on  and  explored  every  part  of  this  small  isl- 
and of  trees.  I  need  not  say  that  I  did  not  meet  witli 
the  crocodile.  Wlien  I  came  out  a  wild  shout  greeted 
me ;  it  was  from  my  men,  w^ho  were  still  at  the  same 
place  where  I  had  left  them.  I  came  toward  them  smi- 
lini^  and  saying,  "  Do  you  think  I  am  crazy  ?  I  tell  you 
I  have  not  seen  that  crocodile  with  scales  of  brass.  I 
looked  every  where,  and  I  saw  nothing  but  trees."  They 
all  shouted,  ^^  You  are  a  mbuiti"— a  spirit. 

We  continued  our  way  till  we  came  to  Amembie. 
Poor  King  Olenga-Yombi  was  drunk  as  usual ;  he  was 
so  tipsy,  indeed,  that  he  could  not  stand  on  his  legs. 
Nevertheless,  he  welcomed  his  friend  Chally,  and  said 
all  his  country  belonged  to  me,  and  in  joy  he  ordered 
another  calabash  full  of  palm  wine  to  be  brought  to  him, 
and  drank  off  about  half  a  gallon  of  it  at  once.  This 
finished  him  up  for  the  day ;  he  fell  back  in  the  arms 
of  his  wives,  shouting  many  times  over,  "  I  am  a  big 
king !  I  am  a  big  king !  I  am  Olenga-Yombi !"  and  was 
soon  asleep.  Poor  Olenga-Yombi,  he  is  an  inveterate 
drunkard ;  not  a  day  passes  by  that  he  is  not  tipsy. 

The  next  morning  I  started  for  a  large  plantation  of 
the  king's  before  he  was  awake.  The  name  of  that 
plantation  was  "  Nkongon-Boumba."  There  I  found  a 
large  number  of  the  king's  slaves,  and  among  them  were 
a  great  many  good  hunters.  These  slaves  knew  me ;  they 
knew  that  I  was  their  master's  great  friend ;  they  knew 
I  was  theirs  also,  and  that  I  had  a  good  stock  of  beads 
for  them  and  their  wives.  The  head  slave  of  the  king, 
an  Ishogo  man  called  Ayombo,  w^elcomed  me,  and  brought 
me  food. 

I  said  to  them, "  Friends,  I  have  come  to  live  witli  .you." 


62  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

They  shouted  "  Yo !  yo  !  yo !"  "  I  want  to  hunt,  and  kill 
an  ipi."  "  Yo !  yo  !  yo !  You  shall  kill  an  ipi,"  they 
shouted.  "I  want  to  kill  gorillas  and  chimpanzees." 
"  Yo !  yo !  yo !  You  shall  kill  gorillas  and  chimpanzees." 
"But,  above  all, I  want  to  kill  an  ipi.  My  heart  wdll  go 
away  sad  if  I  do  not  kill  an  ipi."  "  Yo  !  yo !  yo !  You 
shall  kill  an  ipi.  We  know  where  some  are.  Yo  !  yo  ! 
yo  !     You  shall  see  an  ipi." 

You  ask  yourself  wdiat  an  ipi  is.  The  ipi  was  an  un- 
known animal.  How  did  I  come  to  know  that  such  an 
animal  existed  ?  One  day  I  saw  a  monda  to  which  was 
suspended  a  large  and  thick  yellow  scale,  such  as  I  had 
never  seen  before.  The  pangolin  had  scales,  but  they 
were  much  smaller.  There  was  no  doubt  that  tins  scale 
belonged  to  the  pangolin  family,  only  I  learned  that  the 
animal  from  which  it  was  taken  was  of  a  larger  variety. 

The  ij^i,  I  was  told,  was  very  rare.  Years  had  passed 
away,  and  no  ipi  had  been  seen  by  me ;  but  some  time 
ago  King  Olenga-Yombi  had  sent  me  word  that  an  ipi 
had  been  near  his  plantation  of  Nkongon-Boumba,  and 
I  had  come  specially  to  hunt  the  ipi. 

Many  of  the  king's  slaves  had  come  from  far-away 
tribes,  and  queer  and  ugly  fellows  they  were,  with  lean 
legs,  prominent  abdomens,  retreating  foreheads,  and  pro- 
jecting mouths. 

The  day  of  my  arrival  we  rested.  The  good  slaves 
and  their  kind  wives  brought  fowls,  plantains,  pea-nuts, 
sugar-cane,  some  pine-apples,  little  lemons,  wild  honey, 
dried  fish — in  fact,  they  brought  to  me  the  best  things 
tliey  had.  I  gave  them  nice  beads,  and  to  some  of  the 
leading  slaves  I  gave  red  caps. 

That  night  there  was  dancing.     The  idol  or  mbuiti 


STARTING   OUT  F OH  A  UUXT. 


63 


was  consulted  as  to  the  results  of  the  chase,  for  these 
interior  people  are  very  superstitions.  They  sang  sono*s 
welcoming  me. 

The  next  morning  a  few  of  the  leading  slaves  and  my- 
self started  for  an  ipi  hunt. 


CHAPTEE  yi. 


HUNTING    FOR    THE    IPI. CAMPING    OUT    IN    THE    WOODS. — 

CAPTURE    OF    AN    IPI. DESCRIPTION    OF    THE    ANBIAL. A 

NEW    SPECIES    OF   ANT-EATER. 

We  left  the  plantation  at  daybreak.  Mayombo,  the 
head  slave,  was  the  leader,  and  some  of  his  cliildren  were 
with  us.  We  all  had  guns ;  the  bojs  carried,  besides,  two 
axes.  In  a  little  while  we  were  in  the  forest.  It  was 
an  awful  day's  hunt,  and  the  first  time  since  my  return 
that  I  had  to  rough  it  in  such  a  manner.  We  wandered 
over  hills  and  dales,  through  the  woods  and  the  streams, 
now  and  then  crossing  a  bog,  leaving  the  hunting-paths, 
struggling  for  hours  through  the  tangled  maze  and 
through  patches  of  the  wild  pine-apple,  which  tore  my 
clothes  to  rags  and  covered  my  poor  body  with  scratches. 
The  thorns  and  cutting  edges  of  sword-like  grass  which 
grew  in  many  places,  and  the  sharp  points  of  the  pine- 
apple leaves,  were  not  very  pleasant  things  to  get  among. 
It  was  like  the  good  old  time,  but  I  did  not  fancy  the 
good  old  time.  I  was  not  yet  inured  to  such  tramps ;  I 
had  forgotten  all  about  tliem,  but  I  knew  that  it  was 
nothing  but  child's  play  when  compared  with  the  hard- 
ships I  had  suffered  in  my  former  explorations,  or  with 
what  I  expected  to  undergo  in  the  future.  I  knew  that 
I  was  hardening  myself  for  what  was  coming  by-and-by, 
and  that  it  was  necessary  that  I  should  go  through  sucli 


CA3IPIXG  OUT  IN  THE  WOODS.  55 

a  schooling  before  starting  for  that  long  Nile  journey 
from  which  I  knew  not  if  I  should  ever  come  back.  I 
must  get  accustomed  to  sickness,  to  hunger,  to  privations 
of  all  kinds,  to  forced  marches ;  I  must  be  afraid  of  noth- 
ing, and  trust  in  God  for  the  result. 

The  end  of  the  day  was  approaching ;  the  birds  gave 
forth  their  last  songs,  calling  their  mates,  so  that  they 
might  not  be  far  apart  for  the  night ;  the  butterflies  had 
ceased  to  fly,  and  were  hiding  themselves  under  the  large 
leaves  to  keep  away  from  the  rains. 

We  had  not  been  successful,  but  did  not  despair.  We 
were  to  sleep  in  the  woods,  for  the  plantation  was  too 
far  away.  Oh,  I  was  so  tired.  Mayombo  immediately 
went  off  to  cut  some  poles  to  support  the  large  leaves 
which  were  to  protect  us  from  the  rains,  while  his  two 
sons  collected  as  fast  as  they  could  the  leaves,  and  I 
looked  after  fire-wood.  I  soon  came  to  a  spot  where  the 
dead  branches  lay  thick  on  the  ground,  and  I  shouted, 
"  Come  here,  boys  !"  A  little  after  sunset  our  camp  was 
built  and  our  fires  were  lighted ;  then  the  boys  pulled 
from  their  bags  several  plantains  and  a  little  parcel  of 
dried  fish  packed  in  leaves.  Not  far  from  our  camp  a 
little  rivulet  ran  meandering  toward  the  sea;  its  water 
was  clear  and  cool,  so  we  had  chosen  a  nice  spot  for  the 
bivouac ;  but  fires  were  to  be  kept  burning  brightly  all 
night,  "  for,"  said  ]\Iayombo, "  leopards  are  very  plentiful 
here ;  we  can  not  keep  our  goats ;  and  two  men  have  been 
missing  within  a  month."  After  that  exhortation,  Ma- 
yombo, who  was  a  great  smoker,  filled  his  pipe  and  lay 
down  by  the  fire.  In  the  mean  time  my  supper  had 
been  cooked,  but  I  was  too  tired  to  enjoy  it,  and  I  was 
too  tired  even  to  sleep. 


00  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWAUFS. 

The  next  evening  we  returned  to  the  plantation,  where 
all  were  glad  to  see  us.  After  a  day  of  rest  we  started 
again,  for  Mayombo  swore  that  I  should  not  rest  till  I 
had  an  ipi.  We  went  in  another  direction,  and  Mayom- 
bo again  took  his  two  sons  with  him.  Toward  noon 
Mayombo  gave  a  cluck,  and  pointed  out  to  me  a  dead 
tree  l}^ng  on  the  ground,  and  a  strange-looking  track 
leading  \\^  to  it,  and  whispered  into  my  ears  the  word 
"Ipi!" 

That  dead  tree  had  been  lying  there,  I  suppose,  for 
hundreds  of  years ;  nothing  remained  of  it  but  the  trunk, 
which  was  hollow  throughout,  and  looked  like  a  tube  fif- 
ty or  sixty  feet  long. 

I  examined  the  ground  carefully  at  one  end  of  the 
trunk,  and  saw  no  footprint  there,  so  the  animal  had  not 
gone  out ;  at  the  other  end  the  tracks  were  fresh,  and  it 
was  evident  that  the  animal  had  hidden  inside  the  night 
before.  I  said  to  Mayombo, "  Perhaps  the  ipi  has  gone 
away."  "  Oh  no,"  said  he ;  "  don't  you  see  there  is  only 
one  track  ?  Besides,  it  could  not  turn  on  itself,  and,  in 
order  to  get  out,  it  has  to  go  straight  on  to  the  other  end." 

Immediately  he  took  the  axe  and  cut  down  some 
branches  of  a  tree,  of  which  he  made  a  trap  to  catch 
the  animal  if  it  should  come  out.  The  branch  was  put 
firmly  in  the  ground,  and  the  top  was  bent  over  with  a 
creeper  attached  to  it,  at  the  end  of  which  was  a  ring, 
through  which  the  animal  would  have  to  pass  before  he 
could  get  out ;  a  little  forked  stick  held  the  ring,  which 
the  animal  would  shake  as  it  passed  through ;  the  limb 
would  fiy  up  instantly,  and  high  in  the  air  would  the  ipi 
dangle. 

When  all  this  liad  been  done,  Mayombo,  who  had  col- 


CAFTUME  OF  AN  in.  gg 

lected  wood  at  the  other  end,  set  fire  to  it,  to  smoke  the 
animal  out.  He  was  not  mistaken ;  the  ipi  was  inside, 
and  it  made  for  the  opposite  extremity  and  was  canght. 
There  was  a  short  struggle,  but  we  ran  up  and  ended  it 
by  knocking  the  ipi  with  all  our  might  on  the  head. 

I  saw  at  once  that  the  ipi  belonged  to  the  pangolin 
genus  {Manis  of  the  zoologists),  which  is  a  very  singular 
kind  of  animal.  Tliey  are  ant-eaters,  like  the  Myrmeco- 
phaga  of  South  America ;  but,  while  the  South  American 
ant-eater  is  covered  with  hair  like  other  mammalia,  the 
pangolins  have  an  armor  of  large  scales  implanted  in  the 
skin  of  the  upper  surface  of  the  body,  from  the  head  to 
the  tip  of  the  tail,  each  scale  overlapping  the  other  like 
the  slates  on  the  roof  of  a  house. 

Like  the  ant-eater  of  South  America,  the  pangolins 
have  no  teeth,  but  they  have  a  long  extensile  tongue,  the 
extremity  of  which  is  covered  with  a  glutinous  secretion 
so  sticky  that  their  prey,  after  having  been  touched,  ad- 
heres to  the  tongue  and  can  not  get  away.  The  tongue 
of  an  ipi  may  be  extended  out  several  inches.  The  ipi 
feeds  on  ants. 

During  the  day  the  ipi  hides  itself  in  its  burrow  in 
the  earth,  or  sometimes  in  the  large  hollows  of  colossal 
trunks  of  trees  which  have  fallen  to  the  ground,  like  the 
tree  just  described  to  you ;  but  they  generally  prefer  to 
burrow  in  the  soil,  and  these  burrows  are  usually  found 
in  light  soil  on  the  slope  of  a  hill.  By  the  singular 
structure  of  the  ipi,  it  can  not  turn  to  the  right  or  to  the 
left  at  once ;  in  fact,  it  is  quite  incapable  of  bending  its 
body  sideways,  so  it  can  not  "  right  about  face"  in  its 
burrow.  Accordingly,  there  are  two  holes  in  each  bur- 
row, one  for  entrance  and  one  for  exit. 


70  THE  COUNTHY  OF  THE  BWAMFS. 

But  if  the  ipi  and  the  pangolin  can  not  bend  their 
bodies  sideways,  they  are  very  flexible  vertically,  their 
stomachs  having  no  scales ;  so,  if  they  are  surprised  or 
want  to  sleep,  they  roll  themselves  in  a  ball,  the  head  be- 
ing inside  and  forming  the  centre,  and  they  coil  and  un- 
coil themselves  in  this  manner  very  readily. 

The  only  way  you  can  find  the  ipi  or  the  pangolin  is 
by  the  trail  they  leave  on  the  soil,  and  following  them 
till  you  reach  their  burrows. 

The  great  trouble  in  finding  the  ipi  is  not  only  that 
the  animal  is  very  scarce,  but  that  it  never  comes  out 
excej)t  at  night,  when  the  rattle  it  makes  among  the 
dead  leaves  is  great.  The  strange  creature  must  see  well 
with  its  queer  little  eyes  to  be  able  to  perceive  the  ants 
upon  which  it  mostly  feeds,  and  it  must  take  time  in  sat- 
isfying its  appetite,  for  a  great  many  little  ants  must  be 
required  to  fill  its  stomach.  Wlien  the  ipi  has  found  a 
spot  where  the  ants  it  wants  to  eat  are  plentiful,  it  stops 
by  them,  and  with  its  long  tongue,  which  protrudes  sev- 
eral inches,  catches  them  one  by  one.  When  an  ant  is 
caught  the  tongue  goes  in  again.  I  wonder  how  man}- 
hundreds  of  times  tlie  tongue  must  come  out  and  go  in 
with  an  ant  before  the  hunger  of  the  ipi  is  satisfied ! 

I  was  not  mistaken ;  this  ipi  was  a  new  species,  and 
the  scientific  name  is  Pliolidotus  Africanus.  This  large 
one  was  a  female,  and  measured  four  feet  six  inches  from 
the  head  to  the  tip  of  the  tail.  It  was  very  stout  and 
heavy,  tlie  tail  very  short  in  comparison  with  its  body, 
and  the  scales  very  thick,  and  of  a  yellow  or  tawny  color. 
The  males  are  said  to  be  much  larger,  and,  according  to 
wliat  the  negroes  say,  must  reach  the  length  of  six  feet. 
They  are  very  ugly  to  look  at.     Their  tail,  being  ver}' 


^.y  in  BREAKFAST.  >j  1 

thick,  makes  a  large  trail  on  the  ground  as  they  moN'e 
about. 

Though  in  some  respects  they  may  be  thougiit  to  re- 
semble the  lizard,  the  pangolins  have  warm  blood,  and 
nourish  their  young  like  the  rest  of  the  mammalia. 

I  need  not  tell  you  that  I  was  glad  to  discover  this 
new  species.  After  securing  the  ipi  w^e  returned  at  once 
to  the  plantation,  and  as  soon  as  1  arrived  I  went  to  work 
and  took  off  its  skin,  and  hard  work  it  was,  I  assure  you, 
the  scales  were  so  thick  and  biff. 

When  we  came  into  the  village  with  the  ipi  there  was 
great  excitement,  for  the  animal  is  so  rare  that  but  two 
or  three  persons  there  had  ever  seen  a  specimen. 

I  went  to  bed  happy,  feeling  that  I  had  had  the  good 
fortune  of  discovering  a  new  and  most  remarkable  ani- 
mal, which  God  had  long  ago  created,  but  which  had 
never  before  been  seen  by  the  white  man. 

Of  course  I  had  a  curiosity  to  see  how  the  ipi  tasted, 
and  I  had  some  for  breakfast  the  next  morning,  and  it 
was  good,  but  not  fat,  though  the  natives  said  that  at  cer- 
tain seasons  they  are  very  fat. 


D 


CHAPTEE  YII. 


LIFE    AT    NKONGON-BOUMBA. — GORILLAS    AND    PLANTAINS. 

ODANGA  SCARED   BY  A  GORILLA. A  CAPTIVE   GORILLA. 

SUPERSTITIONS    RESPECTING    THE   LEOPARD. 

The  dry  season  had  now  fairly  begun.  We  were  in 
the  month  of  June,  and  the  nights  and  evenings  were 
quite  pleasant.  The  days  were  generally  cloudy,  and  it 
was  a  good  time  of  the  year  for  hunting,  as  most  of  the 
bog-land  was  drying  fast. 

Nkongon-Boumba  was  situated  in  a  charming  spot 
on  the  summit  of  a  gentle  hill,  at  the  foot  of  which  ran 
a  little  stream  of  clear  water.  The  country  which  sur- 
rounded it  was  partly  prairie  and  partly  wooded ;  the 
soil  on  the  prairie  was  sandy,  but  where  the  woods  grew 
the  soil  was  better.  In  many  places  the  primitive  growth 
had  been  cut  down,  and  there  the  fine  plantation  of  plan- 
tain-trees and  bananas  of  King  Olenga-Yombi  were  flour- 
ishino^  well. 

How  beautiful  the  country  looked  in  the  morning  just 
before  sunrise,  when  a  veil  of  mist  seemed  to  hang  over 
it,  and  when  the  dew  was  still  thick  on  the  blades  of 
grass,  or  was  dropping  fast  from  the  plantain-leaves !  I 
would  get  up  just  at  daylight,  and  would  start  with  my 
gun  on  my  shoulder,  in  the  hope  that  I  might  see  a  ga- 
zelle or  an  antelope  feeding. 


GOIilLLAH  AND  PLANTAINS.  73 

Gorillas  were  very  plentiful  near  Nkongoii-Boumba, 
and  were  committing  great  depredations  among  the  plan- 
tain and  banana  trees ;  the  patches  of  sugar-cane  were 
also  very  much  devastated.  I  heard  one  afternoon  that 
the  day  before  gorillas  were  in  the  forest  not  far  from 
the  village,  and  had  already  begun  to  play  sad  havoc 
with  the  plantain-trees. 

The  morning  after  the  news,  if  you  had  been  in  the 
village,  you  would  have  seen  me,  just  a  little  before  day- 
break, getting  ready  to  go  after  the  gorillas.  I  was  paint- 
ing my  face  and  hands  with  a  mixture  of  powdered  char- 
coal and  oil.  After  my  toilet  was  done,  I  put  on  my  old, 
soiled  Panama  hat,  took  one  of  my  best  guns,  called 
Odanga,  one  of  my  boys,  to  accompany  me,  and  started 
off.  There  was  just  daylight  enough  for  us  to  see  our 
way,  and  in  a  short  time  we  came  to  a  plantation,  sur- 
rounded by  virgin  forest,  covered  with  plantain  and  ba- 
nana trees,  most  of  which  were  bearing  fruit  in  different 
stages  of  growth.  This  plantation  had  just  been  made 
on  the  skirt  of  the  forest. 

It  was  a  lovely  morning;  the  sky  was  almost  cloudless; 
every  thing  was  still,  and  one  could  only  hear  the  slight 
rustling  of  the  tree-tops  moved  by  the  gentle  land  breeze. 
Before  reaching  the  grove  of  plantain-trees  I  had  to  pick 
my  way  through  a  maze  of  tree-stumps,  half -burnt  logs, 
and  dead,  broken,  and  half -burnt  limbs  of  trees,  where 
the  land  had  been  prepared  for  a  new  plantation.  If 
gorillas  are  to  be  seen  in  a  plantation  near  a  village  tliey 
most  generall}^  come  in  the  early  morning. 

By  the  side  of  the  plantain-trees  w^as  a  field  of  cassada, 
and  just  as  I  was  going  by  it  I  heard  suddenly  in  the 
plantain-grove  a  great  crashing  noise  like  the  breaking 


74  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

of  limbs.  What  could  this  be  ?  I  immediately  hid  my- 
self behind  a  bush,  and  then  looked  in  the  direction  from 
which  the  sound  proceeded.  What  do  I  see  ?  A  gorilla, 
then  a  second  gorilla,  and  a  third  one,  coming  out  of  a 
thick  bush;  then  another  one  made  his  appearance — 
there  were  four  altogether.  Then  I  discovered  that  one 
of  the  females  had  a  baby  gorilla  following  her. 

So  do  not  be  astonished  when  I  tell  you  that  my  eyes 
were  wide  open,  and  that  I  gazed  on  the  scene  before  me 
with  intense  excitement.  These  gorillas  looked  so  droll, 
walking  in  the  most  absurd  way  on  all  fours,  and  now 
and  then  walking  erect.  How  impish  the  creatures 
seemed !  how  intensely  black  their  faces  were !  how  hid- 
eous their  features !  They  looked  like  men,  but  like  wild 
men  with  shaggy  hides,  and  their  big,  protuberant  abdo- 
mens did  not  make  them  less  ridiculous  or  repulsive. 

The  gorillas  went  immediately  at  their  work  of  de- 
struction. I  did  not  stop  them,  but  merely  looked  on. 
Plantain-tree  after  plantain-tree  came  down ;  it  seemed 
to  me  that  they  wxre  trying  to  see  which  could  bring 
down  the  greatest  number  of  trees  in  the  shortest  space 
of  time.  They  were  amusing  themselves,  I  suppose.  In 
destroying  a  tree,  they  first  grasped  the  base  of  the  stem 
with  one  of  their  powerful  hand-like  feet,  and  then  with 
their  prodigious  long  arms  pulled  it  down.  This,  of 
course,  did  not  require  much  strength  with  so  light  a 
stem  as  that  of  the  plantain.  Then  they  would  set  their 
big  mouths  upon  the  juicy  heart  of  the  tree,  and  devour 
it  with  great  avidity ;  at  another  time  they  would  give 
one  bite,  or  would  simply  demolish  the  tree  without  eat- 
ing it. 

How  strange  sounded  the  chuckle  they  gave  as  if  to 


OFF  WITH  ODANOA.  75 

express  tlieir  contciitment !  Now  and  then  they  would 
sit  still  and  look  around — and  such  a  look !  Two  or  three 
times  they  looked  in  the  direction  where  I  was ;  but  I  lay 
so  quiet,  and  was  so  concealed,  they  could  not  see  me, 
and,  as  the  wind  was  blowing  from  them  to  me,  they 
could  not  smell  me.  How  fiendish  their  look  was !  A 
cold  shiver  ran  through  me  several  times,  for,  of  all  the 
malignant  expressions  I  had  ever  seen,  theirs  were  the 
most  diabolical.  Two  or  three  times  they  seemed  to  be 
on  the  point  of  running  away,  and  appeared  alarmed,  but 
recovered  their  composure,  and  began  anew  the  w^ork  of 
destruction. 

The  little  baby  gorilla  followed  his  mother  wherever 
she  went.  Gradually,  without  my  taking  notice  of  it, 
they  came  to  the  edge  of  the  dark  forest,  and  all  at  once 
disappeared  like  a  vision — hke  a  dream.  I  went  to  look 
at  the  spot  where  they  had  made  such  havoc,  and  count- 
ed over  one  hundred  plantain-trees  down  on  the  ground, 
which  they  had  destroyed. 

The  next  morning  I  went  again  with  Odanga  to  the 
same  spot,  with  no  expectation  of  seeing  gorillas  again, 
for  I  did  not  think  they  would  make  another  visit  there 
with  their  ro\ang  propensities,  but  I  thought  I  might  see 
an  antelope  or  two,  attracted  by  the  young  leaves  of  the 
cassada-tree,  of  which  they  are  very  fond.  I  carried  a 
light  double-barreled  shot-gun,  while  Odanga  carried  my 
heavy  double-barreled  rifle,  to  use  in  case  we  should  see 
an  elephant. 

The  part  of  the  plantation  upon  which  we  had  come 
extended  over  two  hills,  with  a  deep  hollow  between 
planted  with  sugar-cane.  I  was  taking  the  lead  in  the 
narrow  path,  and  just  as  I  was  going  down  the  hill  to 


76  THE  COUNTRY  OP  THE  DWARFS. 

get  over  to  the  other  side  of  the  hollow,  my  eyes  sud- 
denly fell  upon  a  monstrous  gray-haired  male  gorilla 
standing  erect  and  looking  directly  toward  me.  I  really 
did  not  know  if  he  was  looking  at  me  or  at  something 
else,  or  if  he  thought  of  crossing  to  my  side,  in  which 
case  he  would  have  come  toward  me.  Without  turning 
my  head  (for  I  did  not  dare  to  lose  sight  of  the  gorilla), 
I  beckoned  Odanga  to  come  toward  me,  so  that  I  might 
get  hold  of  my  rifle  and  shoot  down  the  huge  monster. 
I  beckoned  in  vain.  I  made  a  quicker  motion  with  my 
hand  for  Odanga  to  come,  but  no  Odanga  was  coming. 
The  huge  beast  stared  at  me,  or  at  least  seemed  to  stare 
at  me,  for  two  minutes,  and  then,  without  uttering  any 
roar,  moved  off  into  the  great  forest  on  all  fours.  Then 
I  looked  round  to  see  what  was  the  matter  with  my  boy 
Odanga,  but  no  Odanga  was  to  be  seen ;  I  was  all  alone. 
The  fellow  had  bolted,  gun  and  all;  the  gorilla  had 
frightened  him,  and  he  had  fled.  I  was  furiously  angry, 
and  promised  myself  to  give  friend  Odanga  such  a  pun- 
ishment as  he  would  not  soon  forget,  that  he  might  not 
play  me  such  a  trick  a  second  time. 

Odanga  had  fled  to  the  plantation,  and  a  little  after 
what  I  have  just  related  I  heard  a  good  many  voices. 
They  were  the  plantation  people,  all  armed  to  the  teeth, 
coming  to  my  rescue ;  but  Odanga  had  taken  good  care 
to  remain  out  of  the  way,  though  he  had  sent  the  gun. 
The  little  scamp  knew  very  well  what  was  coming,  but 
when  I  went  back  he  was  not  to  be  seen,  and  the  fellow 
hid  himself  for  two  days.  When  at  last  I  got  hold  of 
him  he  made  me  the  most  solemn  promise  never  to  do 
such  a  thing  again,  and  said,  "  Chally,  Abamboo  (the 
devil)  must  have  made  me  leave  you." 


A  CAPTIVE  GORILLA.  fj^j 

On  my  return  from  Nkongon-Boumba  a  great  sur- 
prise awaited  me — a  live  gorilla.  An  old  chief,  a  friend 
of  mine,  named  Akondogo,  bad  just  returned  from  tlie 
Ngobi  country,  situated  south  of  Cape  St.  Catharine,  and 
there,  with  some  slaves  of  Olenga  -Yombi,  he  had  killed 
the  mother,  and  captured  the  rascal  before  me.  He  was 
bigger  than  any  gorilla  I  had  captured,  or  that  had  ever 
been  taken  alive.  Bigger  he  was  than  Figliting  Joe, 
which  many  of  you  no  doubt  remember. 

Like  Joe,  this  fellow  showed  the  most  ungovernable 
temper,  and  to  bite  somebody  seemed  to  be  the  object 
he  was  always  aiming  at.  We  had  no  chain  with  which 
to  confine  him,  so  that  a  long  forked  stick  round  his  neck 
was  the  only  means  we  could  employ  of  keeping  him  at 
a  safe  distance. 

In  the  evening,  as  Akondogo  and  I  were  seated  togeth- 
er, the  good  fellow,  smoking  his  huge  pipe,  said  to  me, 
"  Chally,  I  have  iiad  a  great  deal  of  trouble  since  I  have 
seen  you.  A  leopard  has  killed  two  of  my  people,  and 
I  have  had  a  great  many  palavers  with  their  families  on 
account  of  their  death." 

I  said, "  Akondogo,  you  could  not  help  it ;  you  are  not 
cliief  over  the  leopards.  But,  after  the  first  man  had 
been  killed,  why  did  you  not  make  a  trap  to  catch  the 
leopard  ?" 

"  The  leopard  I  mean,"  said  he, "  is  not  one  that  can  be 
trapped ;  it  was  a  man  who  had  changed  himself  into  a 
leopard,  and  then,  after  he  had  been  a  leopard  for  some 
time,  he  changed  himself  into  a  man  again." 

I  said,  "Akondogo,  why  do  you  talk  to  me  in  that 
way  ?  Yon  know  I  do  not  believe  that  men  are  turned 
into  beasts,  and  afterward  into  men  again.     It  is  stupid 


78  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

for  people  to  believe  so,  but  I  can  not  shake  that  belief 
in  you  alomb^"  (black  men). 

Poor  Akondogo  said,  "  Cliallj,  I  assure  you  that  there 
are  men  who  change  into  leopards,  and  from  leopards 
into  men  again." 

Not  wishing  to  argue  the  question,  I  said,  "  Never 
mind ;  tell  me  the  story  of  your  trouble."  Then  Akon- 
dogo once  more  filled  his  pipe  with  tobacco,  gave  three 
or  four  big  puffs  of  smoke,  which  rose  high  in  the  air, 
and  thus  begun : 

"  My  people  and  myself  had  been  in  the  woods  several 
days  collecting  India-rubber.  One  day  a  man  disap- 
peared, and  nothing  could  be  found  of  him  but  a  pool 
of  blood.  The  next  day  another  man  disappeared,  and 
in  searching  for  him  more  blood  was  found.  We  all  got 
alarmed,  and  I  sent  for  a  great  doctor ;  he  came  and 
drant  the  mboundou,  so  that  he  might  be  able  to  say 
how  these  two  deaths  came  about.  After  the  ouganga 
(doctor)  had  drank  the  mboundou,  and  as  all  the  people 
stood  round  him  asking  him  what  had  killed  these  two 
men,  and  just  as  we  were  waiting  with  breathless  silence 
for  what  he  was  going  to  say,  he  spoke  to  me  and  said, 
'  Akondogo,  your  own  child  [his  nephew  and  heir]  Ako- 
sho  killed  the  two  men.'  Immediately  Akosho  was  sent 
for  and  seized,  and  he  answered  that  it  was  true  that  he 
had  killed  the  two  men,  but  that  he  could  not  help  it ;  he 
remembered  well  that  that  day,  as  he  was  walking  in 
the  woods,  he  suddenly  became  a  leopard ;  that  his  heart 
longed  for  blood,  and  that  he  had  killed  the  two  men, 
and  then,  after  each  mm-der,  he  became  a  man  again. 

"  There  was  a  great  uproar  in  the  village  ;  the  people 
shouted, '  Death  to  the  aniemba  Akosho !' 


SUPERSTITION  RESPECTING  THE  LEOPARD.  79 

"  But,"  said  Akondogo,  "  I  loved  my  boy  so  much  that 
I  said  to  the  people, '  Let  us  not  believe  Akosho ;  he  must 
have  become  a  kendo'  (idiot,  fool).  But  Akosho  kept 
saying  he  had  killed  the  men,  and  took  us  into  the  woods 
where  lay  the  two  bodies,  one  with  the  head  cut  off,  and 
the  other  with  the  belly  torn  open. 

"  Upon  this,"  said  Akondogo, "  I  ordered  Akosho  to  be 
bound  with  cords,  and  tied  in  a  horizontal  position  to  a 
post,  and  to  have  a  fire  lighted  at  his  feet,  and  be  burned 
slowly  to  death,  all  which  was  done,  the  people  standing 
by  until  he  expired." 

The  end  of  the  story  was  so  horrid  that  I  shuddered. 
It  was  a  case  of  monomania.  Akosho  believed  that  he 
had  been  turned  into  a  leopard,  and  committed  two  mur- 
dei's,  the  penalty  of  which  he  paid  with  his  life.  Here, 
in  our  country,  he  would  have  been  sei|t  to  the  insane 
asylum. 


^lo 


D  2 


CHAPTEE  YIII. 


WOUNDED   GORILLA  AND   HER  YOUNG   ONES. TAKING  THEIR 

PHOTOGRAPHS. TOM  AND  IVHNNIE. ARRIVAL  OF  MY  VES- 
SEL.  HURRA  FOR  BARING   BROTHERS. A   SMOIONG    SHIP. 

KING  QUENGUEZA  GOES  ON  BOARD. — PREPARATIONS  FOR 

JOURNEY. 

A  FEW  days  after  my  return  home,  one  evening  a 
strange  siglit  presented  itself  in  front  of  my  house — a 
sight  which  I  firmly  believe  had  never  before  been  wit- 
nessed since  the  world  began.  There  was  great  commo- 
tion and  tremendous  excitement  among  the  Commi  peo- 
ple. 

There  stood  in  front  of  my  bamboo  house  a  large  fe- 
male gorilla,  bound  hand  and  foot,  and  alive,  but  fright- 
fully wounded.  A  large  gash  might  have  been  seen  on 
her  scalp,  and  her  body  was  covered  with  clotted  blood. 
One  of  her  arms  had  been  broken,  and  she  bore  wounds 
upon  the  head  and  chest.  Now  and  then  the  creature 
would  give  a  sharp  scream  of  pain,  which  lent  horror  to 
the  darkness  by  which  we  were  surrounded,  the  half  doz- 
en lighted  torches  making  the  scene  still  more  wild. 

This  adult  female  gorilla  had  been  mortally  wounded 
in  the  morning,  and  lay  on  the  ground  senseless  for  a 
long  time.  A  bullet  from  one  of  my  hunters  had  frac- 
tured her  skull,  and  in  that  state  of  insensibihty  she  had 


i'Ai'l  1  V ±j  G  ORILLAS.  g  1 

been  securely  tied  to  a  stout  stick,  and  in  such  an  ingen- 
ious manner  that  there  was  no  chance  of  her  escaping. 
Her  wrists  and  ankles  had  been  tied  strongly  together, 
while  the  stick  had  been  adjusted  between  her  mouth 
and  feet  and  hands  in  such  a  way  that  she  could  not 
reach  out  to  sever  the  cords  with  her  teeth. 

Hanging  from  her  bosom  was  a  baby  gorilla  (her  child). 
The  little  creature  was  a  female  but  a  few  months  old, 
and  now  and  then,  after  feeding  from  its  mother's  breast, 
it  would  give  a  plaintive  wail.  By  the  side  of  both  stood 
a  young  live  male  gorilla,  a  fierce-looking  fellow,  which 
seemed  afraid  of  nothing,  and  looked  around  with  its 
deep  grayish,  fiendish  eyes  as  if  to  say,  "  What  does  all 
this  mean  ?  I  have  not  seen  this  sight  in  the  woods  be- 
fore." !N"ot  far  off  lay  the  corpse  of  a  large  female  go- 
rilla, quiet  in  the  embrace  of  death,  her  face  yet  distort- 
ed by  the  death-agony. 

It  was  dark,  as  I  have  told  you,  and  the  scene  was  so 
strange  and  so .  wild  that  I  will  never  forget  it.  The 
fiendish  countenances  of  the  living  calibanish  trio,  one  of 
them — the  wounded  one — with  a  face  distorted  by  pain, 
were  lit  up  by  the  ruddy  glare  of  the  native's  torches,  and 
they  seemed  even  more  repulsive  than  their  dead  com- 
panion. "AYliat  a  commotion  this  sight  would  create," 
I  said  to  myself,  "  in  a  civilized  land  !" 

There  was  no  sleep  for  me  that  night;  the  terrific 
screams  of  the  wounded  mother  kept  me  awake.  Two 
or  three  times  I  got  up  and  went  out  to  see  what  was  the 
matter,  for  I  was  in  constant  dread  of  the  big  gorilla's 
untying  the  cords. 

The  next  morning  I  immediately  prepared  my  photo- 
graphic apparatus,  and  took  an  excellent  photograph  of 


82  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

the  wounded  mother  with  her  child  on  her  lap.  As  for 
Master  Tom  (I  gave  that  name  to  the  fierce-looking  young 
male),  I  could  not  succeed  in  taking  a  very  good  likeness 
of  him ;  he  would  not  keep  still  long  enough.  I  untied 
his  hands  and  feet  after  putting  a  chain  round  his  neck, 
and  to  show  his  gratitude  he  immediately  made  a  rush 
at  me  to  the  length  of  his  chain,  screaming  with  all  his 
might.  Happily,  the  chain  was  too  short  for  him  to 
reach  me,  or  I  should  have  come  off  minus  a  little  piece 
of  the  calf  of  my  leg. 

The  night  after  I  had  taken  the  photograph  of  the 
mother  her  moanings  were  more  frequent,  and  in  the 
morning  they  gradually  became  weaker  as  her  life  ebbed 
out,  and  about  ten  o'clock  she  died.  Her  death  was  pain- 
fully like  that  of  a  human  being,  and  her  child  clung  to 
her  to  the  last,  and  even  tried  to  obtain  milk  after  she 
was  dead.  How  still  was  that  fierce,  scowling  black 
face !  There  was  something  so  vindictive  in  it,  and  at 
the  same  time  so  human,  that  I  almost  shrunk  from  the 
sight  as  I  contemplated  that  wonderful  creature  which 
God  has  made  almost  in  the  image  of  man. 

Now  all  I  had  to  do  was  to  take  care  of  Tom  and  of 
Minnie.  Tom  gave  me  no  trouble,  for  he  was  quite  old 
enough  to  feed  upon  the  nuts  and  the  berries  that  were 
gathered  for  him ;  but  with  little  Minnie  it  was  a  differ- 
ent thing,  as  she  was  too  young  to  eat  berries.  Happily, 
I  had  a  goat  that  gave  milk,  and  I  fed  her  on  that  milk, 
but  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  she  lived  only  three  days 
after  her  mother's  death.  She  died  the  fourth  day  to- 
ward noon,  having  taken  an  unconquerable  dislike  to  the 
goat's  milk.  She  died  gently ;  her  tiny  legs  and  arms 
had  become  shriveled,  her  ribs  could  all  be  seen,  and  her 


i 


A  GORILLA  HUNT. 


85 


small  hands  had  wasted  almost  to  nothing.  She  died 
on  the  little  bed  of  straw  I  made  for  her  as  if  she  went 
to  sleep,  without  a  struggle. 

So  no  one  was  now  left  of  my  family  of  gorillas  but 
Master  Tom,  and  he  was  healthy  and  strong  enough,  and 
ate  all  the  berries,  nuts,  and  fruits  we  brought  to  him. 
For  days  I  tried  to  take  the  little  demon's  photograph, 
but  all  in  vain.  The  pointing  of  the  camera  toward  him 
threw  him  into  a  perfect  rage,  and  I  was  several  times  on 
the  point  of  giving  him  a  severe  thrashing.  At  last  I 
succeeded  in  taking  two  views,  not  very  perfect;  but  this 
was  better  than  nothing. 

The  place  where  these  gorillas  had  been  captured  was 
about  thirty  miles  above  my  settlement,  up  the  river ;  at 
this  point  a  low,  narrow  promontory  projects  into  the 
stream.  This  spot  w^as  my  favorite  hunting-ground  for 
gorillas,  which  came  there  to  eat  the  wild  pine-apple,  and 
it  was  there  I  intended  to  take  my  good  friend  Captain 
Burton,  the  great  African  traveler,  the  man  who  made 
the  pilgrimage  to  Mecca,  for  he  was  now  at  Fernando 
Po,  and  had  promised  to  make  me  a  visit. 

The  gorillas  w^ere  discovered  in  this  way :  A  woman 
passing  through  that  region  came  to  her  village  and  said 
she  had  seen  two  squads  of  female  gorillas,  some  of  them 
followed  by  their  children;  they  were  going,  she  thought, 
to  her  plantain  field.  My  hunters  were  on  the  spot  where 
I  had  left  them  the  day  before,  and  with  the  villagers, 
who  armed  themselves  with  guns,  axes,  and  spears,  at 
once  sallied  forth  in  pursuit.  The  situation  was  very  fa- 
vorable for  the  hunters,  who  formed  a  line  across  the  nar- 
row strip  of  land,  and  pressed  forward,  shouting  and 
driving  the  animals  to  the  edge  of  the  water,  their  ter- 


86  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

rific  noise  bewildering  the  gorillas,  which  were  shot  and 
beaten  down  in  their  endeavors  to  escape.  There  were 
eight  adult  females  together,  but  not  a  single  male. 

Time  now  began  to  weigh  heavily  upon  me,  and  a 
weary  interval  passed  by.  I  did  not  know  how  long  it 
might  be  before  a  vessel  would  come  to  me.  Had  my 
letter  to  Messrs.  Baring  reached  them  ?  If  it  had  not, 
what  should  I  do  ? 

I  begun  to  feel  very  lonely  despite  hunting  excursions 
and  the  gorilla  scene  I  have  just  described  to  you.  I 
would  go  almost  every  day  on  the  sea-shore  and  w^atch 
for  a  sail ;  now  and  then  I  w^ould  see  one,  but  it  was  the 
sail  of  a  whaler  or  of  a  trader,  who  took  good  care  not 
to  come  to  anchor  near  this  wild  part  of  the  w^estern 
coast. 

On  the  30th  of  June,  as  I  came  down  the  Kiver  Com- 
mi  fi'om  a  hunting  excursion,  having  bade  adieu  to  Olen- 
ga  -Yombi,  and  was  returning  to  my  own  settlement,  ex- 
pecting to  remain  there  and  wait  for  the  coming  vessel, 
I  saw  a  canoe  with  sail  set  coming  up  the  river  and  ma- 
king for  us.  I  immediately  ordered  my  paddlers  to  go 
tow^ard  the  canoe.  Soon  we  met,  w^hen  Kombe  shouted, 
"Chally,  your  vessel  has  come!"  I  jumped  from  my 
seat  and  cried  back,  "  What  do  you  say,  Kombe  ?"  He 
repeated,  "Your  vessel  has  arrived."  I  was  wild ;  I  was 
crazy  with  joy ;  no  news  could  have  been  more  welcome. 
I  shouted  (I  could  not  help  it), "  Good  for  you,  Baring 
Brothers !  You  have  acted  like  true  friends.  Three 
cheers,"  I  called  to  the  boys,  "  three  cheers  for  Baring 
Brothers,  who  have  sent  the  ship  to  me.  Let  us  paddle 
with  all  our  might,"  said  I ;  "  let  us  not  stop ;  I  must 
reach  Plateau  before  morning." 


LETTEliS  FROM  HOME.  87 

On  my  arrival  at  that  place,  Ranpano  handed  me  two 
letters  which  the  captain  of  the  ship  had  sent  for  me. 
One  was  from  the  captain  himself,  announcing  his  arri- 
val ;  the  other  was  from  Baring  Brothers.  Yes,  they  liad 
sent  me  all  the  goods  I  w^anted — a  second  supply  of  sci- 
entific instruments.  These  great  bankers  and  merchants 
had  taken  the  trouble  to  send  to  Paul  Du  Chaillu  all  he 
had  asked  for,  and  they  did  not  know  ^vlien  they  would 
be  paid.  I  assure  you  I  was  so  overjoyed  that  for  a  few 
minutes  I  did  not  know  what  I  was  doinir. 

I  ordered  at  once  all  the  sea-canoes  to  be  ready.  I 
must  go  on  board;  no  time  must  be  lost.  The  next 
morning  it  was  hardly  daylight  when  I  had  left  for  the 
mouth  of  the  river.  Soon  after  our  canoes  were  put 
over  to  the  sea-side,  we  passed  the  surf  smoothly,  and  I 
was  on  board  the  vessel  shaking  hands  with  Captain  Ber- 
ridge,  the  commander. 

Oh,  wdiat  an  enjoyment  I  had  !  how^  many  letters  from 
friends  told  me  that  I  was  not  forgotten !  Then  news- 
papers came,  and  my  heart  became  sad  when  I  saw 
that  the  civil  war  w^as  still  raging  in  America;  "but," 
said  the  captain,  "  there  is  a  prospect  that  it  will  soon  be 
over." 

My  vessel  had  only  arrived  two  days  when  a  native 
entered  my  hut  in  great  consternation,  and  said  that  a 
smoking  vessel  with  ten  guns  was  in  the  river,  and  they 
thought  it  had  come  to  make  war.  After  a  wdiile,  a  flat- 
bottomed  steamer,  forty  feet  in  length,  put  out  her  an- 
chor in  front  of  my  settlement,  and  fired  off  a  gun  to  sa- 
lute me. 

I  need  not  tell  you  that  there  was  tremendous  excite- 
ment amono;  the  natives  now  that  an  ouatanc^a  otouton 


88  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

(smoking  ship)  had  entered  their  river.  The  name  of 
this  little  vessel  was  the  Leviathan. 

A  few  days  after  I  was  on  board  of  the  Leviathan 
steaming  for  Goumbi,  for  I  w^anted  Qnengiieza  to  see 
what  a  steamer  was.  The  appearance  of  this  little  boat, 
which  did  not  draw  more  than  two  feet  of  water,  cre- 
ated the  most  intense  excitement.  The  Leviathan  was 
a  screw  steamer.  "Oh,"  exclaimed  the  people,  "look! 
look !  the  vessel  goes  by  itself,  without  sails,  without  pad- 
dles !  Oh !  oh !  oh !  what  does  that  mean  ?"  They  would 
spy  us  far  off,  and  then  would  crowd  the  banks  of  the 
river.  Many  were  stupefied  at  the  sight,  and  could  not 
make  out  what  it  meant,  especially  when  they  recog- 
nized me,  while  others  would  deny  that  it  was  me,  and 
others  exclaimed, "  Chally,  is  that  you  ?  Do  not  our  eyes 
belie  us  ?  Tell  us — shout  back  to  us !"  and  then  I  would 
say, "  It  is  I — Chally."  Then  they  would  recognize  me, 
put  out  in  their  canoes,  and  paddle  with  all  their  might 
in  order  to  catch  us. 

As  we  approached  Goumbi,  where  the  river,  in  de- 
scending from  the  interior,  bends  in  its  westerly  course, 
the  banks  were  high  and  wooded,  and  the  river  very  tor- 
tuous. Here  the  steamer  puffed  its  way  right  up  to  the 
villages  before  it  could  be  seen,  and  the  alarmed  natives, 
who  heard  the  strange  noise  of  the  steam-pipe  and  ma- 
chinery, were  much  frightened,  and,  as  we  came  in  sight, 
peeped  cautiously  from  behind  the  trees,  and  then  ran 
away. 

At  last  we  came  in  sight  of  Goumbi.  The  excitement 
was  intense.  From  Goumbi  the  people  could  see  well 
down  the  river.  The  drums  began  to  beat,  and  the  peo- 
ple were  greatly  frightened.     Then  we  cast  anchor,  and 


KINO  QUENOUEZA.  89 

as  I  landed  the  people  shouted,  "It  is  Chally ;  so  let  us 
not  be  afraid,  for  no  one  will  harm  us  when  Chally  is 
with  them." 

Captain  Labigot  and  Dr.  Touchard,  who  had  landed 
with  me,  received  an  ovation ;  guns  were  fired,  and  in  a 
short  time  we  found  ourselves  in  the  presence  of  the 
great  King  Quengueza.  lie  did  not  know  what  all  this 
meant,  but  he  felt  big.  Hundreds  of  Bakalai  and  Ashira 
were  around  him  ;  he  looked  at  them,  and  said, "  Do  you 
see  ?  do  you  see  ?  I  am  Quengueza ;  my  fame  is  great, 
and  the  white  man  comes  to  see  me,"  and  he  turned 
away  without  saying  another  word. 

My  great  desire  was  to  persuade  Quengueza  to  come 
on  board,  and  I  was  afraid  I  would  not  be  able  to  effect 
this.  I  said, "  Quengueza,  I  have  brought  you  white  peo- 
ple who  want  to  see  your  river,  and  I  want  you  to  come 
on  board  with  us ;  they  want  to  see  the  Niembouai  and 
the  Bakalai."  The  old  chief  said  he  would  go  ;  "  for," 
said  he,  "  Chally,  I  know  that  no  one  will  hurt  me  when 
I  am  with  you."  Good  Quengueza  knew  me  quite  well ; 
he  had  perfect  faith  in  me ;  he  knew  that  I  loved  him  as 
he  loved  me.     I  said,  "  Quengueza,  you  are  right." 

Early  the  next  morning  the  steam  was  up,  and,  in  de- 
spite of  the  protestations  of  his  people,  the  old  king  came 
on  board,  and  was  received  with  a  royal  salute  from  the 
two  small  guns.  The  excitement  on  the  shore  was  in- 
tense ;  the  booming  of  the  guns  re-echoed  from  hill  to 
hill,  and  lost  itself  in  the  immense  forest.  Many  a  wild 
beast  must  have  been  astonished ;  gorillas  must  have 
roared,  and  thought  that  it  was  strange  that  there  was 
any  thing  besides  thunder  that  could  make  a  noise  loud- 
er than  their  own  roars.     The  old  African  chieftain  ac- 


90  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

companied  us  uimtteiided,  and  as  the  anchor  was  raised 
and  we  began  to  steam  up  the  river,  he  looked  backward 
toward  his  people,  who  were  dumb  with  astonishment,  as 
if  to  say,  "  Do  you  see  ?  your  old  chief  is  afraid  of  noth- 
ing." I  had  induced  good  Quengueza  to  wear  a  coat, 
though  he  was  in  deep  mourning. 

You  would  have  liked  to  see  King  Quengueza  seated 
on  a  chair  on  deck.  As  we  passed  village  after  village, 
he  looked  at  the  Bakalai  with  silent  contempt,  and  they 
could  hardly  believe  their  own  eyes.  The  crafty  old 
king  took  care  to  let  the  people  see  him,  for  it  was  to 
give  him  great  fame :  the  people  would  say, "  We  saw 
Quengueza  on  a  vessel  of  fire  and  smoke,  going  up  the 
river  without  sails  or  paddles." 

After  two  days  we  came  back  to  Goumbi,  and  I  said 
to  the  people,  "  I  bring  your  old  chief  back  to  you."  A 
feast  was  given  us  by  Quengueza,  and  we  steamed  once 
more  down  the  river.  Then  I  ordered  every  thing  to  be 
got  ready,  for  I  was  soon  to  set  out  upon  my  long  jour- 
ney. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

DOWN   THE   RIVER  IN  A  CANOE. A  STRANGE   PASSENGER. — 

TALK  WITH  A  GORILLA. LANDING  THROUGH  THE  BREAK- 
ERS.  PREPARING  TO  CROSS  THE  CONTINENT. THE  DE- 
PARTURE. 

On  the  ISth  of  August,  1864, 1  sent  back  the  vessel  to 
England  to  the  Messrs.  Baring,  and  early  that  morning  we 
left  my  settlement  and  sailed  down  the  river  in  my  lar- 
gest canoe.  We  had  a  strange  lot  of  passengers  with  us. 
The  most  remarkable  of  them  w^as  Master  Tom  Gorilla ; 
not  far  from  him,  at  the  bottom  of  the  canoe,  alive  and 
kicking,  w^as  a  yellow  wild  boar,  which  I  had  raised  from 
a  little  bit  of  a  fellow ;  and  near  the  boar  were  two  splen- 
did fishing  eagles.  Another  canoe  contained  the  skins 
and  skeletons  of  several  gorillas,  the  skins  of  chimpan- 
zees and  other  animals,  besides  a  great  many  insects, 
butterflies,  and  shells. 

Tom  had  managed  to  get  on  top  of  the  little  house  I 
had  made  for  him,  and  there  he  sat  screaming.  It  was 
a  good  thing  that  the  chain  around  his  neck  kept  him  at 
a  safe  distance  from  us.  This  morning,  as  w^e  came 
down  the  river,  he  was  fiercer  than  I  had  ever  before 
seen  him.  Tom  was  much  stronger  than  Fighting  Joe, 
with  whom  you  became  acquainted  in  one  of  my  preced- 


92  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWAEFS. 

ing  volumes,  and  consequently  a  more  formidable  fellow 
to  deal  with.  Happily,  he  could  not  come  down  upon  us 
and  bite  any  of  us.  I  could  not  help  laughing  when  I 
saw  him  so  angry.  He  could  not  understand  why  he 
had  been  disturbed ;  he  did  not  like  the  looks  of  things 
around  him,  and  liis  fierce  and  treacherous  eyes  did  not 
bode  us  any  good. 

I  said  to  him, "  Tom,  you  are  going  to  the  white  man's 
country ;  I  wish  you  health.  You  are  an  ugly  little  ras- 
cal ;  all  my  kindness  to  you  has  not  made  you  grateful. 
The  day  that  I  am  to  bid  you  good-by  sees  you  as  in- 
tractable as  ever.  You  always  snatch  from  my  hands 
the  food  I  give  you,  and  then  bolt  with  it  to  the  farthest 
corner  of  your  abode,  or  as  far  as  the  length  of  your 
chain  will  allow.  I  have  to  be  very  careful  with  you, 
for  fear  of  your  biting  me.  Tom,  you  have  a  very  bad 
temper.  When  you  are  angry  you  beat  the  ground  with 
your  hands  and  feet,  just  like  a  big,  grown-up  gorilla.  I 
suppose,  if  you  were  a  full-grown  gorilla,  you  would  beat 
your  chest.  Tom,"  said  I,  "  many  times  you  have  woke 
me  in  the  night  by  your  sudden  screams ;  often  you  have 
tried  to  take  your  own  life — I  suppose  it  was  because 
you  could  not  bear  captivity.  I  have  rescued  jon  sev- 
eral times  from  death  in  your  attempts  to  strangle  your- 
self with  your  chain,  through  rage  at  being  kept  a  pris- 
oner. Oh,  Tom,  how  often  you  have  twisted  that  chain 
around  and  around  the  post  to  which  you  were  attached, 
until  it  became  quite  short,  and  then  pressed  with  your 
feet  the  lower  part  of  the  post,  till  you  almost  succeeded 
in  committing  suicide  by  strangulation,  and  would  have 
succeeded  if  I  had  not  come  to  your  rescue.  Tom,  I 
have  been  patient  with  you ;  I  have  taken  care  of  you, 


TALK  WITH  A  GOBILLA.  93 

and  you  Lave  my  best  wishes  for  a  prosperous  voyage, 
and  I  hope  you  will  reach  the  white  man's  country  in 
safety." 

The  moment  I  paused  in  this  address  Tom  would  an- 
swer me  with  a  growl. 

"  Tom,  I  have  laid  in  a  great  deal  of  food  for  you  on 
shipboard:  there  are  two  hundred  bunches  of  banaiiaB 
and  plantains,  a  great  many  pine-apples,  a  lot  of  sugar- 
cane, and  many  barrels  of  berries  and  nuts ;  so  you  will 
have  plenty  of  food.  But,  Tom,  you  must  try  to  eat  the 
white  man's  food,  for  the  bananas  and  the  berries  will 
not  last  all  the  voyage.  Thus  far  I  have  not  been  able 
to  cook  you  any  of  the  white  man's  food,  though  I  have 
nearly  starved  you,  and  kept  you  for  days  with  hardly 
any  food  at  all." 

Another  growl  greeted  this  talk,  as  if  to  say,  "  I  know 
what  you  say  to  me." 

"  The  captain  will  take  you,  Tom."  Then  I  looked  at 
Captain  Berridge. 

"  Yes,"  said  he ;  "  Tom,  all  I  ask  of  you  is  to  keep  well, 
and  to  reach  safely  the  country  of  the  white  men,  so  they 
may  see  how  a  young  gorilla  looks." 

By  the  time  I  had  ended  this  queer  conversation  w^ith 
Tom  we  had  reached  our  place  of  landing,  and  on  the 
sea-shore  several  canoes  were  waiting  for  us.  The  break- 
ers were  high ;  several  canoes  had  been  upset,  and  their 
contents  lost. 

When  I  saw  the  state  of  the  breakers,  I  concluded  not 
to  ship  my  photographs,  and  I  tried  to  prevail  on  the  cap- 
tain not  to  go  on  board  that  day ;  "  but,"  said  he, "  I  have 
my  life-preserver  with  me,  and  I  will  run  the  risk."  The 
large  surf -canoe  was  got  ready ;  Tom  was  put  on  board 


94  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

with  his  house,  and  the  first  thing  he  did  was  to  get  on 
top  of  it,  where  for  a  moment  he  yelled  in  affright  at  the 
foaming  billows  around  him,  and  then  hid  himself  in  his 
liouse.  The  men  had  to  be  on  the  alert,  and  in  the 
twinkling  of  an  eye  two  stout  fellows  took  Captain  Ber- 
ridge  in  tlieir  arms  and  put  him  in  the  canoe.  They 
started  off  at  once,  passing  the  first  breaker  without  ac- 
cident ;  but  the  second,  a  huge  one,  broke  over  the  canoe, 
filling  it  with  water,  and  very  nearly  upsetting  it.  The 
wave  went  right  over  Master  Tom,  who  gave  a  most  ter- 
rific howl,  and  the  bath,  instead  of  cooling  his  rage,  made 
him  more  violent  than  ever.  The  yellow  wild  boar  gave 
several  piercing  screams,  and  the  poor  eagles  were  almost 
drowned,  for  the  live-stock  were  all  together. 

I  could  not  restrain  my  laughter  at  the  rage  of  Tom ; 
he  did  not  seem  at  all  to  like  the  taste  of  salt  water. 
When  the  canoe  returned,  for  npon  this  attempt  it  was 
found  impossible  to  pass  the  breakers,  he  jumped  on  the 
top  of  his  house,  shaking  himself,  and  looking  fiercely  all 
around.  No  one  dared  to  approach  him  after  the  canoe 
had  landed,  though  really  I  could  not  help  laughing  to 
see  poor  Tom  in  such  a  plight — it  was  so  nnlike  the 
woods  where  he  had  lived.  I  gave  him  a  fine  ripe  ban- 
ana, which  he  ate  voraciously,  and  he  became  more  quiet 
afterward. 

In  the  afternoon,  j  ust  at  low  tide,  before  the  sea  began 
to  rise  again,  the  captain,  Tom,  the  wild  pig,  and  the 
eagles  went  safely  through  the  breakers. 

I  did  not  go  on  board.  I  took  a  bill  of  lading  for 
Tom,  and  gave  a  draft  for  one  hundred  pounds  sterling 
to  the  captain,  to  be  paid  to  him  by  Messrs.  Baring  Broth- 
ers on  the  receipt  of  a  live  gorilla. 


GRAND  PALAVER.  95 

AYould  you  like  to  hear  the  end  of  the  story  of  Tom, 
which  I  heard  on  my  return  ? 

After  three  weeks  all  the  bananas,  plantains,  berries, 
and  nuts  which  he  had  not  consumed  were  spoiled,  and 
there  was  nothing  left  to  give  Tom  but  white  man's  food, 
though,  as  long  as  he  could  get  his  native  aliment,  the 
captain  had  tried  in  vain  to  make  him  eat  of  it.  But 
when  the  fruits  had  been  exhausted  Captain  Berridge 
called  the  cook,  whereupon  pies  and  puddings  were 
made,  and  rice  was  boiled,  plain  and  with  molasses,  but 
all  these  dainties  Tom  rejected.  Crackers  w^ere  offered 
him  w4tli  no  better  result.  Tom  refused  all  kinds  of 
food  for  three  days,  and  the  fourth  day  he  died  of  star- 
vation, and  to  the  day  of  his  death  he  was  as  ugly  as  the 
day  he  was  captured. 

A  few  days  after  the  departure  of  the  vessel,  all  the 
Commi  chiefs  met  at  my  request,  for  I  was  ready  to  leave 
the  country,  and  we  held  a  grand  palaver. 

"I  am  your  friend,"  said  I  to  them  ;  "I  know  that  you 
love  me.  The  vessel  has  gone,  and  now  I  am  ready  to 
go  to  the  other  side  of  your  island"  (I  tried  to  make  them 
understand  that  Africa  was  almost  an  island).  "The 
journey  will  be  a  long  one.  I  may  have  to  go  through 
a  hundred  tribes;  there  may  be  war;  I  may  encounter 
hunger  and  starvation.  We  shall  sail  and  paddle  over 
many  rivers ;  I  shall  cross  over  many  mountains,  and  see 
many  valleys  and  prairies.  I  am  going  toward  the  spot 
where  the  sun  rises." 

"  Oh !  oh !  oh !"  shouted  the  chiefs. 

"  Yes,"  said  I,  "  I  have  told  you  the  truth  ;  and  now  I 
want  some  of  3^our  people  to  go  with  me.  At  the  end  of 
the  long  journey  they  will  find  all  that  they  most  desire — 

E 


9  6  THE  CO  UNTR  T  OF  THE  D  WARES. 

all  the  coats,  all  the  hats,  all  the  shirts,  all  tlie  beads,  all 
the  guns,  all  the  powder  thej^  want,  and  then  a  vessel  will 
bring  them  back  to  you.  It  will  be  a  rough  journey,  and 
perhaps  some  of  those  who  go  with  me  will  never  return 
again  to  you.  But  so  it  is  with  you  when  you  go  trad- 
ing ;  one  after  another  dies  on  the  road,  but  it  is  not  long 
before  you  go  trading  again.  I  want  no  man  to  come 
with  me  by  force — sent  by  his  chief  or  father ;  I  want 
free  men,  with  strong  and  brave  hearts,  who  have  heard 
all  that  I  have  said,  so  that  when  w^e  are  pinched  for  food 
there  may  be  no  grumbling.  I  do  not  go  to  make  war, 
for  w^ar  would  stop  our  progress." 

"  What  a  talker  our  w^iite  man  is !"  they  shouted. 
"Yes,"  said  all  the  Commi  chiefs  at  once,  "we  will  not 
forbid  any  one  to  go  w^ith  you.  You  have  talked  to  us 
right ;  you  have  told  us  no  lies.  If  a  man  comes  back, 
he  will  come  back  rich." 

Great  excitement  prevailed  among  the  Commi  for  sev- 
eral days  after  my  speech.  Many  young  men  wanted  to 
follow  me,  but  their  families  objected.  In  the  mean  time 
I  was  busy  packing  up  my  large  outfit. 

"  I  will  be  satisfied,"  said  I  to  myself,  "  if  I  can  get 
twenty-five  Commi  men  to  accompany  me."  But  many 
had  been  frightened  at  my  speech.  Nevertheless,  a  few 
days  after  w^hat  I  have  related  to  you,  there  might  have 
been  seen  several  canoes  on  the  river  bank  just  opposite 
my  settlement.  Among  them  were  two  very  large  war- 
canoes,  the  largest  in  the  country,  which  sat  deep  into  the 
water,  laden  with  the  bulky  equipment  which  was  to  be 
used  by  me  in  crossing  the  immense  wilderness  of  Equa- 
torial Africa.     We  were  all  ready  to  leave  the  country. 

Many  of  the  Commi  people  were  to  accompany  me  as 


A  ORE  AT  FETICH- MAN.  07 

far  as  Goumbi,  while  the  men  who  were  to  follow  nic 
were  but  few ;  but  we  were  great  friends.  My  compan- 
ions for  the  great  expedition  were  ten  altogether. 

There  was  Igala,  whom  I  considered  my  right-hand 
man,  a  warrior  of  great  repute,  one  of  the  most  famous 
hunters  of  the  country.  He  was  a  negro  of  tall  figure 
and  noble  bearing,  cool  and  clear-headed  in  face  of  dan- 
ger, fierce  as  a  lion,  but  w^ith  me  docile  and  submissive. 
Igala  was  to  be  my  leader ;  he  was  to  be  foremost  in  the 
fight,  if  fighting  had  to  be  done.  He  or  I  were  to  lead 
the  van  into  the  jungle,  and  he  was  to  keep  a  sharp  look- 
out and  see  that  the  porters  did  not  run  away  with  their 
loads.  With  twenty  such  men  as  Igala  I  would  have 
been  afraid  of  nothing  in  Africa.  Igala  had  a  great  rep- 
utation as  a  fetich-man,  and  his  war  and  hunting  fetiches 
especially  were  thought  by  the  people  to  be  very  potent. 

Next  to  Igala  came  Rebouka,  a  big,  strapping  negro, 
whose  chief  fault  was  that  he  always  bragged  about  the 
amount  he  could  eat ;  and  he  had  really  sometimes  too 
good  an  appetite,  for  the  fellow  could  eat  an  enormous 
quantity  of  food.  But  Rebouka  had  many  good  quali- 
ties, one  of  w^hich  was  that  he  was  a  good  fighting  man, 
a  very  important  one  for  me. 

Igalo,  bearing  almost  the  same  name  with  the  fierce 
Igala,  was  a  tall  young  man,  full  of  spirit  and  dash,  im- 
petuous, excitable,  and  I  had  always  my  eye  upon  him 
for  fear  that  he  would  get  us  into  trouble.  lie  could 
fight  well  too. 

My  good  boy  Macondai,  a  fellow  I  had  almost  brought 
up,  the  only  sea-shore  boy  whom  Quengueza  had  allowed 
to  be  with  me  in  the  country  of  the  Bakalai  in  former 
times,  was  also  of  my  party. 


9  8  THE  CO  UNTR  Y  OP  THE  D  WARES. 

Then  came  Mouitchi,  a  powerful  negro,  not  a  Commi, 
but  a  slave,  who  had  come  into  the  Commi  country  w^hen 
a  mere  boy.  Mouitchi  had  been  a  slave  of  Djombouai, 
Ranpano's  nephew,  but  his  freedom  had  been  given  him, 
and  now  he  wanted  to  be  five  years  on  the  road,  and  to 
see  the  white  man's  country.  Mouitchi  was  very  black, 
not  very  tall,  a  short-necked  fellow,  and  was  the  very  type 
of  the  negro,  with  thick  lips,  and  a  big  nose,  almost  as 
flat  as  that  of  a  gorilla. 

Another  of  my  fellows  was  Rapelina,  a  short,  stout  ne- 
gro, young,  but  strong  as  an  ox.  One  of  tlie  chief  faults 
of  Rapelina  was  that  he  was  sulky  and  obstinate,  but  I 
could  always  get  along  with  him.  He  was  a  slave  of 
Sholomba,  another  nephew  of  Ranpano,  who  did  not 
want  to  be  behindhand  in  manifesting  an  interest  in  my 
expedition,  and,  as  Eapelina  wished  to  accompany  me, 
Sholomba  gave  him  his  freedom. 

Retonda,  Ngoma,  Igala  - Yengo,  boys,  were  three  other 
slaves  that  wanted  to  go  to  the  white  man's  country,  and 
so  their  freedom  was  also  given  them.  Ngoma  and  Ma- 
condai  were  to  be  my  servants;  Ngoma  was  to  be  my 
cook,  and  Macon  dai  was  to  wait  upon  me  w^hile  eating. 

Igala,  Rebouka,  Igalo,  and  Macondai  belonged  to  the 
best  blood  of  the  country ;  they  were  descended  from 
men  who  had  been  great  in  their  tribe,  but,  as  I  said  to 
them  before  we  started, "  Boys,  there  are  to  be  no  distinc- 
tions among  you  ;  we  all  have  stout  hearts,  and  the  white 
men  will  thank  us  all  alike  if  we  succeed  in  our  journey." 
I  made  Igala  chief  over  them,  and  his  orders  were  to  be 
implicitly  obeyed. 

You  have  now  a  pretty  good  idea  of  the  men  and  boys 
who  were  to  follow  me  into  that  great  equatorial  jungle, 


THE  BOYS'  OUTFIT. 


99 


and  share  my  perils  in  countries  so  wild  that  we  had  not 
the  slightest  idea  what  we  should  meet  with,  either  in 
the  people  or  in  the  wild  beasts. 

I  had  a  nice  outfit  for  each  one  of  my  boys  (for  so  I 
called  them).  Each  one  of  them  had  three  thick  blue 
woolen  shirts,  of  the  best  quality  that  I  could  find,  and, 
with  care,  these  would  last  the  whole  of  tlie  journey. 

Tliey  had,  besides,  each  two  pairs  of  thick  canvas  trow- 
sers,  which  they  were  to  wear  sometimes  on  the  line  of 
march  to  protect  them  against  the  stings  of  insects,  from 
thorns,  and  many  other  injuries ;  but  ordinarily  the  trow- 
sers  were  to  be  worn  only  when  making  their  appearance 
in  the  villages.  At  such  times  the  boys  were  also  to 
wear  red  worsted  caps. 

So  they  were  not  to  look  like  the  olomeiga  (bushmen), 
as  they  called  the  intei-ior  people,  Avhom  they  despised 
most  thoroughly,  being,  they  said,  the  class  from  which 
the  slaves  came. 

Every  man  had  a  good  thick  blanket  to  keep  him 
warm  at  night,  and  to  protect  him  from  the  musquitoes. 
I  had  given  to  each  man  a  fine  gun ;  besides,  they  had 
each  a  pair  of  pistols,  a  bag  to  contain  their  ammunition, 
and  a  huge  hunting-knife. 

For  weeks  before  our  departure  I  had  drilled  my  men 
in  the  use  of  their  guns,  or  in  practicing  target-shooting, 
so  that  they  might  be  splendid  shots  from  the  start ;  and 
in  this,  of  course,  a  great  deal  of  ammunition  was  wasted. 

As  the  hour  for  our  departure  approached,  the  banks 
of  the  river  w^ere  crowded  -with  people.  It  was  on  the 
2d  of  October,  1864.  That  unfortunate  shipwreck  had 
caused  me  a  great  loss  of  time,  but  at  last  we  were  ready, 
and  the  people  had  come  to  see  us  off  and  say  good-by. 


100  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

Many  a  sad  heart  was  on  that  sliore  ;  many  a  mother  and 
sister  thought  it  was  the  last  time  they  should  see  the 
men  and  boys  that  w^ere  going  with  me.  I  felt  the  great 
responsibility  I  had  assumed  in  taking  away  my  men 
from  their  people. 

Every  thing  was  ready,  good-by  had  been  said  a  hun- 
dred times,  the  men  had  been  in  the  canoes  and  had  gone 
ashore  again,  when  I  said, "  Boys,  let  us  break  off.  I  know 
it  is  hard  to  leave  home.  Don't  you  think  it  was  hard 
for  me  to  leave  the  wdiite  man's  country  ?" 

Igala,  my  right-hand  man,  my  warrior,  my  hunter — 
Igala,  with  the  heart  of  a  lion,  was  the  only  one  left 
ashore.  He  could  not  tear  himself  away  from  his  little 
daughter,  w^hom  he  tenderly  loved,  and  who  clung  close- 
ly to  her  father,  the  tears  streaming  from  her  eyes,  and 
begging  him  not  to  go  with  the  white  man  on  the  okili 
mpolo  (long  road),  for  he  would  never  come  back.  It 
w^as  a  great  trial  for  Igala.  I  could  see  by  the  working  of 
his  face  that  his  pangs  at  parting  were  severe.  "  Do  not 
cry,  ouana  amee  (my  child) ;  I  am  coming  back ;  we  shall 
reach  the  other  side.  I  am  going  with  Chally ;  I  will 
bring  plenty  of  beads  from  the  white  man's  country." 
Then,  by  a  sudden  effort,  he  left  her  and  jumped  into  my 
canoe ;  I  gave  the  order  for  departure,  and  in  the  midst 
of  tremendous  shouting  and  liring  of  guns  w^e  got  in  mo- 
tion. I  hoisted  the  Stars  and  Stripes  at  the  stern  of  my 
big  canoe,  and  turned  my  head  toward  the  mouth  of  the 
river  as  if  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  sea  once  more. 

As  I  looked  at  my  men  in  that  canoe  my  heart  melted 
with  love  for  them.  What  a  strong  faith  they  must  have 
had  in  me !  They  had  left  father,  mother,  wife,  sister, 
to  follow  me.     I  swore  to  myself  that  their  confidence 


A  CELEBRATED  DOCTOR.  IO3 

ill  me  should  not  be  misplaced ;  lieiicefortli  they  were  to 
be  brothers  to  me. 

That  night,  as  we  stood  by  the  fire  in  our  camping- 
ground,  I  said,  "  Boys,  you  have  left  fathers,  mothers, 
brothers,  sisters,  wives,  your  children,  for  me,  because  you 
would  not  permit  me  to  go  alone  from  tribe  to  tribe ;  for 
you  said,  ^  If  you  get  sick,  who  shall  take  care  of  you  ?  if 
you  are  hungry,  who  shall  get  food  for  you  %  We  wdll 
follow  you  to  the  end  of  the  journey  to  the  other  side  of 
the  island,  for  we  know  that  if  you  reach  the  white  man 
you  will  bring  us  back  to  our  country ;  w^e  know  that, 
even  if  one  white  man  should  be  willing  to  give  ten  ship- 
loads of  goods  for  one  of  us,  you  would  not  sell  us.' 
Boys,  you  have  always  heeded  what  I  said  to  you ;  we 
are  friends.  When  you  come  back  and  walk  in  your  vil- 
lages, the  people  will  say, '  Here  are  the  men  with  strong 
hearts ;  they  went  with  Chally,  and  have  seen  what  nei- 
ther black  men  nor  white  men  had  ever  seen  before.'  " 

Where  we  had  stopped  for  the  night  lived  a  celebrated 
doctor  who  the  people  believed  could  foretell  events.  His 
name  was  Oune-jiou-e-mare  (head  of  a  bullock) ;  he  was 
about  seventy  years  of  age,  and  a  kind-hearted  old  man. 
As  he  enjoyed  the  reputation  of  being  a  great  prophet, 
my  people  asked  him  whether  our  journey  would  be  pros- 
perous. He  replied  that  we  should  go  very  far,  and  that 
a  big  chief  would  ask  Chally  to  marry  his  daughter,  and 
then,  if  Chally  married  her,  and  gave  her  all  she  asked, 
and  made  her  heart  glad,  she  w^ould  lead  us  from  tribe 
to  tribe  until  we  reached  the  far-off  sea  where  we  wished 
to  go. 

"  Chally,  you  must  marry  that  girl,"  they  all  shouted  ; 
"  yes,  you  must." 

E2 


104 


THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 


The  next  day  Kanpano  left  us,  but  not  before  I  grant- 
ed a  strange  request  of  his.  He  wanted  me  to  take  off 
the  garment  I  wore  next  to  my  skin ;  "  not,"  said  he,  "  that 
I  want  it  to  wear,  but  I  will  keep  it,  and  then  you  will 
be  sure  to  come  back." 


\ 


CHAPTEE  X. 

A  ROYAL  WELCOME. DEPARTURE  FROM  GOUMBI. THE   STO- 
RY  OF  NCIIANGA  AND    ENOMO. ASCENDING    THE   OVENGA 

RIVER. A  HOSTILE   BARRIER  REMOVED. THE  ADVICE   OF 

QUENGUEZA. 

After  a  few  days  we  reached  the  kingdom  of  Quen- 
giieza,  aud  I  received  a  royal  welcome  from  the  sturdy 
old  chief,  for  he  loved  me  more  tlian  any  body  else.  That 
eveninor  we  remained  toscether  all  alone,  and  talked  about 
my  long  journey.  lie  said  to  me, "  Chally,  every  body  is 
afraid  ;  none  of  my  free  men  want  to  follow  you.  They 
think  they  will  never  come  back ;  but  one  of  my  slaves 
says  he  will  go  with  you,  and  you  can  depend  upon  him. 

"  To  make  sure  of  your  success,"  said  the  old  king,  "  I 
want  you  to  go  where  you  like.  I  am  an  old  man,  but  I 
am  strong,  and,  though  more  than  forty  dry  and  forty 
rainy  seasons  have  passed  since  I  have  been  to  tlie  Ashira 
country,  I  will  go  there  with  you.  I  will  put  you  myself 
in  the  hands  of  my  friend  Olenda,  the  Ashira  king,  and 
tell  him  to  send  you  on." 

Thirteen  days  after  my  arrival  at  Goumbi  the  beat- 
ing of  the  kendo  (the  royal  standard  alarum)  awoke 
me  just  before  sunrise,  and  I  heard  the  voice  of  the  old 
chief  invoking,  in  a  loud  tone,  the  spirits  of  his  famous 
royal  ancestors  to  protect  us  on  our  journey.  The  spir- 
its he  invoked  were  those  of  men  who  had  been  famous 


]  00  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

in  war  or  as  rulers,  and  tlieir  names  had  been  handed 
down  from  generation  to  generation.  Igoumbai,  Wom- 
bi,  Rebouka,  Ngouva,  Ricati,  Olenga-Yombi — the  skulls 
of  all  these  great  men  were  kept  in  the  alumbi  house  of 
the  king. 

Quengueza  w^as  prouder  than  any  chief  I  knew  of  the 
powers  of  his  deceased  ancestors,  and  well  might  he  be, 
for  several  had  been  great  warriors,  and  some  had  been 
wise  rulers. 

At  10  o'clock  on  the  2Stli  of  October  we  left  Goumbi, 
followed  by  a  large  array  of  canoes.  We  had  had  some 
trouble  before  the  start,  for  Quengueza's  slaves  were 
alarmed,  and  many  had  hid  in  the  woods.  They  w^ere 
afraid  that  their  master  would  give  them  to  me,  and  they 
did  not  desire  to  go  oif  into  the  far  country. 

"  Good-by"  shouted  the  villagers  on  the  shore  ;  "  good- 
by,  Chally  ;  come  back  to  us.  Take  care  of  our  king ; 
we  do  not  like  him  to  go  so  far  away  with  you,  for  he 
is  old ;  but  he  loves  you,  and  will  accompany  you  part  of 
the  way."  And  just  as  we  disappeared  from  sight  a  wild 
shout  rang  through  the  air.  It  was  the  last  farewell  to 
me  of  the  Goumbi  people. 

That  evening  we  reached  the  junction  of  the  Niem- 
bai  and  Ovenga  Rivers,  and  resolved  to  pass  the  night 
on  the  shore.  The  rivers  were  low,  for  the  dry  season 
had  been  unprecedented  in  its  length — indeed,  the  lon- 
gest that  the  people  could  remember.  In  that  country 
the  rainy  season  comes  from  inland,  and  gradually  makes 
its  way  to  the  sea-shore,  wliile  the  dry  season  begins  at 
the  sea-shore,  and  gradually  makes  its  way  inland. 

That  evening  our  camp  was  a  merry  one,  for  the  men 
who  went  out  caught  a  great  many  fish  (mullets  and  con- 


HOUND  THE  CAMP-FIRE.  ^^^ 

dos).  The  number  was  prodigious,  for  at  that  season  of 
the  year  these  fish  ascend  the  river  as  the  shad  do  in 
spring  in  America.  The  smoke  of  many  a  camp-fire  as- 
cended among  the  trees,  and  jokes,  and  laughter,  and  sto- 
ry-telHng  were  carried  far  into  the  night.  A  negro  is 
never  happier  than  when  he  has  nothing  to  do  and  plen 
ty  to  eat. 

My  couch,  made  of  leaves,  was  by  the  side  of  Quengue- 
za's,  and  my  brave  companions  were  all  around  us. 

Some  funny  stories  were  told  that  night,  and  one  of 
them  I  wrote  down.  The  long  dry  season  was  the  sub- 
ject of  conversation.  A  man  belonging  to  Goumbi  got 
up.  Nchanga  means  the  wet,  Enomo  the  dry  season. 
These  two  seasons  are  personified  with  the  African.  So 
the  story  went : 

Xchanga  and  Enomo  had  a  great  dispute  as  to  which 
was  the  oldest,  that  is  to  say,  which  was  the  first  to  begin, 
and  finally  an  assembly  of  the  people  of  the  air  met  to 
decide  the  question.  IsTchanga  said, "  When  I  come  to  a 
place,  rain  comes."  Enomo  retorted, "  When  I  make  my 
appearance,  the  rain  goes."  ^'Yerily,  verily,"  said  the 
people  of  the  air,  who  had  listened  to  Enomo  and  Nchan- 
ga, "  you  must  be  of  the  same  age." 

These  long  dry  seasons  have  a  special  name,  and  are 
called  enomo  onguero;  they  last  about  five  months.  The 
showers  coming  at  the  close  are  very  light,  and  produce 
no  impression  on  the  rivers. 

Xext  morning  we  ascended  the  Ovenga,  which  was  very 
low,  being  about  twenty  feet  below  the  high- water  mark. 
The  narrow  stream  was  encumbered  with  fallen  trees  and 
sand-banks,  and  the  journey  was  diflicult  and  slow. 

We  were  getting  among  the  Bakalai  villages  which 


108  THE  COUXTHY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

lined  the  river  banks  from  place  to  place,  when  sudden- 
ly we  came  to  a  spot  where  the  river  had  been  fenced  or 
obstructed  right  across  on  account  of  some  petty  trade 
quarrel  which  the  people  of  the  village  opposite  had  had 
with  some  other  village  higher  up. 

As  soon  as  King  Quengueza  saw  this  his  countenance 
changed,  and  wore  the  fiercest  expression,  and  for  the 
first  time  I  could  see  that  the  terrible  accounts  I  had 
heard  of  his  warlike  disposition  Avhen  younger  were  true. 
The  face  of  the  man  fairly  changed  its  color.  He,  the 
King  of  the  Rembo,  traveling  with  his  ntangani  (white 
man),  saw  that  his  river  had  been  barred. 

lie  got  up  and  shouted, "  Where  are  the  axes  and  the 
cutlasses  ?  where  are  the  spears  and  the  guns  ?"  and  he 
took  up  a  gun  himself,  and  fired  into  the  air. 

The  fence  was  demolished  in  a  few  seconds,  and  on- 
ward we  went.  Our  canoe  took  the  lead,  and  just  as  we 
turned  a  bend  in  the  river  I  saw  five  elephants  crossing 
it,  and  before  I  had  time  to  get  a  shot  at  them  the  huge 
creatures  reached  the  bank  and  plunged  into  the  forest, 
demolishing  all  the  young  trees  which  stood  in  the  way 
of  their  flight. 

Finally  we  reached  the  junction  of  the  Ovenga  River 
and  of  the  Ofoubou,  and  set  up  our  camp  there.  Quen- 
gueza immediately  dispatched  messengers  to  the  Ashira 
king,  asking  him  to  send  us  men.  Our  camp  was  close 
by  the  village  of  fi'iend  Obindji,  with  whom  you  are  al- 
ready acquainted,  who  came  to  see  us  every  day. 

You  remember  the  description  I  gave  you  of  Obindji, 
and  the  fierce  witchcraft-palaver  that  took  place  at  his 
cabin,  Pende,  his  brother,  having  been  accused  of  steal- 
ing dead  men's  bones,  etc. 


Q UENO  UEZA' S  ADVICE.  \  Q 9 

I  had  brought  with  me  a  nice  present  for  Obindji,  be- 
sides what  I  had  sent  him  by  Quengueza  on  my  arrivaL 
The  good  old  Bakalai-  chief  was  delighted. 

We  remained  for  several  days  at  onr  encampment  here, 
till  at  last  the  Ashira  people,  sent  by  their  King  Olenda, 
arrived. 

The  water  was  now  so  low  that  from  the  northern 
bank  of  the  Ovenga,  on  which  our  camp  was  placed, 
there  stretched  a  long  point  of  beautiful  sand,  upon 
which  turtles  would  come  during  the  night  and  lay  their 
eggs. 

We  soon  found  that  the  large  number  of  men  Olenda 
had  sent  were  not  sufficient  for  repacking  our  baggage, 
and  I  remained  behind  with  Quengueza. 

Three  nephews  of  Quengueza — Adouma,  Ouendogo, 
and  Quabi — went  with  the  Ashira  men,  taking  with  them 
all  that  the  men  could  carry.  When  I  saw  that  I  had 
really  too  much  luggage,  I  gave  to  Quengueza  nearly  all 
the  salt  I  had,  a  great  many  brass  rings,  an  additional 
supply  of  powder,  etc. 

After  a  few  days  the  Ashiras  returned,  and  we  con- 
cluded to  take  our  departure  the  next  morning. 

Quengueza,  besides  being  an  illustrious  warrior,  was  a 
man  who  had  a  great  deal  of  common  sense,  and,  after 
every  thing  was  packed  and  ready,  he  ordered  my  men 
to  come  to  him.  The  old  chief's  countenance  wore  a 
grave  aspect,  and,  after  looking  in  the  fire  for  some  time, 
smoking  all  the  while  as  hard  as  he  could, he  said, "You 
are  going  into  the  bush;  you  will  see  there  no  one  of 
your  tribe ;  look  up  to  Chally  as  your  chief,  and  obey 
him.  Kow  listen  to  what  I  say.  You  will  visit  many 
strange  tribes.     If  you  see  on  the  road,  or  in  the  street 


1 1 0  THE  CO  UNTJi  Y  OF  THE  D  WARES. 

of  a  village,  a  line  bunch  of  plantains,  with  ground-nuts 
lying  by  its  side,  do  not  touch  them ;  leave  the  village  at 
once ;  this  is  a  tricky  village,  for  the  people  are  on  the 
watch  to  see  what  you  are  going  to  do  with  them. 

"  If  the  people  of  a  village  tell  you  to  go  and  catch 
fowls  or  goats,  or  cut  plantains  for  yourselves,  say  to 
them, '  Strangers  do  not  help  themselves ;  it  is  the  duty 
of  a  host  to  catch  the  goat  or  fowl,  and  cut  the  plantains, 
and  bring  the  present  to  the  house  which  has  been  given 
to  the  strangers.'  When  a  house  is  given  to  you  in  an}^ 
village,  keep  to  that  house,  and  go  into  no  other ;  and  if 
you  see  a  seat,  do  not  sit  upon  it,  for  you  know  there  are 
seats  upon  which  nobody  but  the  owners  are  permitted 
to  sit. 

"  But,  above  all,  beware  of  women  ;  do  not  get  in  love 
with  any  of  them,  for  you  will  be  strangers  in  a  strange 
land.  I  tell  you  these  things  that  you  may  journey  in 
safety ;  I  want  you  to  have  a  smooth  journey,  and  get  into 
no  trouble.     I  need  not  tell  you  to  take  care  of  Chally." 

The  speech  of  the  old  sage  was  listened  to  with  great 
attention,  and  Igala  said,  ^''Bera  (father,  king),  we  will 
follow  your  advice,  'for  we  know  that  when  salt  or  food 
is  left  on  the  road-side  it  is  to  catch  people ;  we  know 
that  you  must  not  go  into  other  people's  houses,  for  in 
some  no  one  but  the  owner  can  go  ;  and  as  for  sitting  on 
somebody  else's  seat,  we  know  better.  We  don't  want  to 
be  made  slaves.  Rera  (father),  we  will  remember  what 
you  have  said  to  us." 


CHAPTER  XI. 

BUSTLE     m     THE     CAMP. A   I^IAGIC     HORN. QUENGDEZA's 

IDOL. A    LIVING    SKELETON. — TERRIFIC    THUNDER-STORM. 

A  GORILLA    FAMILY. STUPENDOUS    CATARACT. 

The  next  morning  after  this  fine  speech  of  Quengneza 
all  was  bustle  in  the  camp,  and  every  thing  was  now 
ready.  Quengneza  stood  by  my  side,  wearing  a  coat, 
and  having  a  green  cloth  around  his  loins ;  from  his 
shoulder  hung  his  bag,  in  which  there  was  a  large  sup- 
ply of  tobacco  and  his  kendo  ;  close  by  him  stood  a  slave 
and  one  of  his  nephews,  carrying  his  gun  and  the  sword 
I  had  given  him.  Adouma,  Ouendogo,  and  Quabi  were 
also  near  at  hand. 

I  was  in  walking  trim,  with  leggins  on,  carrying  by 
my  side  a  superb  pair  of  revolvers.  I  bore  also  a  double- 
barreled  rifle,  and  in  my  bag  were  100  cartridges  for  my 
revolvers,  and  150  bullets  for  my  gun.  Every  man  of 
my  company  was  armed  to  the  teeth,  and  they  seemed 
greatly  to  enjoy  looking  formidable. 

A  gun  is  fired,  the  echo  of  which  reverberates  from 
mountain  to  mountain,  and  then  more  guns  are  fired  by 
tlie  Bakalai,  who  know  that  King  Quengneza  and  his 
friend  Chally  are  now  on  their  journey. 

We  paddled  up  the  Ofoubou  for  a  little  while,  when  wc 
went  ashore,  and  pursued  our  journey  overhand.  That 
night  we  slept  at  the  Bakalai  village  of  Ndjali-Coudie. 


]  12  ,  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

The  next  morning  we  continued  our  journey,  my  dear 
friend  Quengueza  and  I  sticking  close  together.  We 
had  left  Ndjali-Coudie  a  little  before  six  o'clock,  just  at 
daybreak,  and  after  a  little  more  than  two  hours  we 
reached  the  top  of  a  steep  hill  (369  feet  in  height),  called 
by  the  people  ]N^omba-Rigoubou,  where  we  stopped  for 
breakfast.  Immediately  after  breakfast  we  marched  on- 
ward, and  as  toward  four  o'clock  poor  Quengueza  ap- 
peared tired,  I  thought  it  best  to  stop  for  the  night  at 
the  base  of  a  hill  called  Ecourou.  Here  there  were  the 
remains  of  an  Ashira  encampment,  which  was  nothing 
but  an  old  shed,  loosely  covered  with  pieces  of  bark,  in 
many  places  of  which  I  could  see  through.  I  had  not 
much  faith  in  its  excellence  for  shelter,  and  wanted  to 
send  the  men  to  collect  leaves,  but  they  were  so  tired 
that  I  let  them  rest.  It  did  not  rain  every  evening,  and 
perhaps  it  would  not  rain  that  evening ;  besides,  we  had 
an  Ashira  doctor  ^vith  us,  who  blew  his  magic  horn  to 
drive  the  rain  away. 

Quengueza  was  an  excellent  companion  on  the  march ; 
full  of  pride,  he  would  never  complain  of  being  tired, 
and  disliked  above  all  things  to  appear  old.  He  was,  in- 
deed, an  odd  sort  of  person,  and  the  eccenti-icities  of  his 
character  were  endless.  Of  course  he  never  traveled 
without  his  idol,  which  was  an  ugly,  pot-bellied  image  of 
wood,  four  or  five  inches  in  height,  with  a  row  of  four 
cowries  imbedded  in  its  abdomen,  and  was  generally  car- 
ried, when  traveling,  in  one  of  his  coat  pockets  or  in  his 
bag.  Walking  or  sleeping,  the  idol  was  never  suffered 
to  be  away  from  him.  Whenever  he  ate  or  drank,  he 
would  take  the  wooden  image  and  gravely  pass  his  tongue 
and  lips  over  its  abdomen,  and  before  drinking  any  of  the 


OLD  KIXG  OLEXJJA.  ]13 

native  beer  he  would  always  take  it  out  of  his  pocket  or 
bag,  lay  it  on  the  ground,  and  pour  a  libation  over  its 
feet.  Poor  Quengueza !  I  used  to  talk  enough  to  him 
about  his  superstitions ;  I  tried  to  shake  his  blind  faith  in 
them,  and  to  teach  liim  to  adore  the  true  God  and  Cre- 
ator,    That  evening  he  held  a  long  parley  with  the  idol. 

The  next  morning  old  Quengueza  appeared  to  feel  stiff 
as  he  got  up,  but  he  took  care  not  to  tell  it  to  any  body, 
and  immediately  we  started.  That  day  we  reached  the 
Ashira  Land,  which  was  the  country  to  wdiich  Quengue- 
za purposed  to  escort  me  himself  on  my  way  to  the  inte- 
rior. It  is  a  mark  of  great  friendship  here  to  accompany 
a  naan  part  of  his  journey,  and  Quengueza,  though  a  man 
beyond  threescore  and  ten,  went,  with  me  over  rough 
mountains,  through  rushing  streams,  and  along  thorny, 
bad  roads,  to  show  me  how  much  he  loved  me. 

As  we  emerged  from  the  forest  into  the  prairies  of 
Ashira  Land,  the  magnificent  mountains  of  Igoumbi-An- 
dele  and  Ofoubou-Or^re  burst  upon  our  view  in  the  south, 
while  in  the  north  the  lofty  ridge  of  Nkoumou-JSTabouali 
stood  out  in  majestic  grandeur  against  the  sky. 

Old  King  Olenda  received  us  w^ith  great  demonstra- 
tions of  joy ;  he  came  to  meet  us  beating  his  kendo,  and 
seemed  delighted  to  meet  me  again.  How  glad  lie  was 
to  see  Quengueza !  They  had  not  seen  each  other  for 
forty  dry  seasons  and  forty  rainy  seasons  (forty  years). 

I  have  given  you  before,  in  two  of  my  works,  a  de- 
scription of  old  Olenda,  the  oldest  man  I  ever  saw.  He 
was  much  the  same  now  as  when  I  last  saw  him :  his 
cheeks  sunken,  his  legs  and  arms  thin  and  bony,  and  cov- 
ered with  wrinkled  skin.  He  appeared,  in  fact,  a  living 
skeleton,  yet  retained  his  sight  and  hearing  unimpaired. 


1 1 4  THE  CO  UNTR  Y  OF  THE  D  WARES. 

After  we  had  come  to  the  ouandja  (palaver  house), 
Quengueza  said, "  I  have  come  to  see  you  again,  Olenda ; 
I  have  come  to  see  you,  to  bring  you  with  my  own  hands 
my  friend  Chally,  the  spirit,  and  I  want  you  to  provide 
him  with  an  escort  to  conduct  him  on  to  the  next  tribe." 

Olenda  promised  every  thing.  The  Ashira  came  to 
us  in  great  crowds,  for  they  wanted  not  only  to  greet 
me,  but  to  see  the  great  Quengueza. 

The  next  day  presents  of  slaves  were  brought  to  Quen- 
gueza. I  begged  the  old  chief  not  to  take  them  ;  but  the 
trouble  was,  that,  according  to  the  customs  of  the  coun- 
try, it  would  be  an  insult  for  him  to  refuse  them,  for  he 
was  the  guest.  Nevertheless,  I  took  the  responsibility, 
and  I  said  I  did  not  desire  Quengueza  to  take  away  any 
slaves  from  the  country.  Immense  quantities  of  supplies 
were  brought  to  us — goats,  plantains,  fowls,  pea-nuts,  sug- 
ar-cane, wild  pine-apples,  berries,  and  fruits  of  all  sorts. 
After  a  few  days  I  held  a  palaver,  and  said, "  I  must  see 
the  great  waterfall  of  Samba-lS'agoshi." 

We  started  in  light  marching  order,  the  only  heavy 
baggage  being  my  photographic  apparatus,  for  I  wanted 
to  take  accurate  views  of  the  splendid  scenery  which  I 
expected  to  behold.  I  took  only  four  of  my  faithful 
Commi  boys  —  Eebouka,  Igala,  Macondai,  and  Ngoma. 
The  rest  of  my  followers  were  Ashiras;  among  them 
were  three  of  Olenda's  grand-nephews — Arangui,Oyagui, 
and  Ayagui. 

We  pursued  a  northeast  direction  till  we  struck  the 
Ovigui  River,  crossing  it  on  an  immense  tree  which  had 
been  felled  for  the  purpose,  and  which  had  lodged  about 
fifteen  feet  from  the  water.  Then  we  took  a  path  which 
was  to  lead  us  to  the  country  of  the  Kambas.     The  for- 


FEARFUL  THUNDER-STORyr.  115 

est  was  exceedingly  dense.  The  first  evening  we  had  a 
fearful  thunder-storm — the  rainy  season  had  begun  in 
these  mountains.  Tlie  thunder  was  terrific,  and  the  flash- 
es of  lightning  vividly  illuminated  the  thick  w^oods  by 
which  we  were  surrounded.  The  next  morning  we  re- 
sumed our  march  along  the  western  foot  of  a  hilly  range, 
and  not  a  sound  was  heard  as  w^e  trudged  steadily  along 
in  Indian  file.  On  the  way  we  passed  through  a  little 
bit  of  prairie,  the  name  of  which  was  Opangano,  and  be- 
fore noon  we  came  to  a  village  of  Bakalai.  The  village 
was  fenced;  that  is  to  say,  each  side  of  the  street  was 
barred  with  long  poles.  The  street  was  very  narrow, 
and  none  of  the  houses  had  outside  doors. 

The  Ashiras  were  afraid  to  go  into  the  villages.  They 
said  that  after  the  people  were  in,  sometimes  the  gates 
were  shut,  and  then  strangers  were  killed  or  plundered, 
A  great  panic  seized  the  Bakalai  as  I  entered  the  village, 
but  their  fears  were  somewhat  allayed  when  they  recog- 
nized Arangui.  We  remained  but  a  little  while,  and 
continued  our  march  northward,  passing  near  several  vih 
lages  of  the  warlike  Bakalai,  two  of  which  were  entirely 
abandoned,  and  before  sunset  we  reached  a  little  prairie 
called  the  Lambengue.  We  had  had  a  hard  day's  work ; 
it  had  been  raining  all  the  afternoon,  and  we  had  been 
compelled  to  travel  through  the  mire  and  over  miles  of 
slippery  stones;  so  we  built  sheds,  covering  them  with 
large  leaves,  and  surrounded  ourselves  Avith  roaring  big 
fires  to  keep  away  the  snakes  and  wild  beasts. 

The  night's  rest  did  little  to  refresh  us,  and  the  next 
morning  we  still  felt  weary.  For  myself,  I  was  quite 
unwell,  and  found  my  gun  too  heavy  to  carr}^  The  feet 
of  my  men  were  sore  on  account  of  the  pebbles  with 


1 1 6  THE  CO  UNTR  Y  OF  TEE  D  WARES. 

which  the  path  was  filled  the  day  before.  So  I  took  the 
lead  to  cheer  them  up,  and  we  were  soon  lost  again  in 
that  great  jungle.  Oh,  how  w^ild  it  was  I  how  desolate  ! 
how  solitary !  There  was  not  an  elephant  to  be  seen, 
nor  did  the  chatter  of  a  monkey  break  the  silence  of  the 
forest.  I  was  ahead  of  the  party,  trying  to  descry  the 
future,  when  suddenly  I  was  startled  by  a  loud  noise  of 
the  breaking  of  branches  of  trees.  It  was  a  family  of 
gorillas.  They  had  seen  me,  and  began  to  hurry  down 
the  trees  which  they  had  ascended  to  pick  the  berries. 
How  queer  their  black  faces  looked  as  they  peeped 
through  the  leaves  to  see  what  was  the  matter  1  As  they 
came  hastily  down,  the  branches  would  bend  with  their 
weight.  They  were  of  different  sizes.  "  It  must  be  a 
family  of  gorillas,"  said  I  to  myself.  All  at  once  I  saw 
a  huge  black  face  looking  through  the  foliage.  There 
was  no  mistake — it  w-as  a  huge  male  gorilla.  He  had 
caught  sight  of  me,  and  I  could  distinctly  see  his  hideous 
features,  his  ferocious  eyes  and  projecting  eyebrows.  I 
was  on  the  point  of  running  away  as  fast  as  I  could  to- 
ward my  men,  when  I  heard  their  voices ;  they  were 
coming  up  to  the  rescue.  The  shaggy  monster  raised  a 
cry  of  alarm,  scrambled  to  the  ground,  and  disappeared 
in  the  jungle,  going,  no  doubt,  where  his  mate  or  family 
had  gone  l)efore  him. 

A  few  days  after  meeting  the  gorillas  I  was  seated  on 
the  banks  of  the  Eiver  Rembo-Ngouyai,  looking  at  a  very 
grand  and  impressive  scene.  It  was,  indeed,  a  magnifi- 
cent fi-eak  of  nature.  The  great  body  of  water  rushed 
through  a  narrow  gorge  with  headlong  furj-,  and  the 
whole  stream  was  white  with  foam.  To  reach  this  spot 
we  had  gone  through  dense  forests,  having  been  led  thith- 


MA  GNIFICENT  CA  TAR  A  CT.  119 

er  onl}^  by  the  roar  of  the  rushing  waters.  We  had  pass- 
ed two  tribes  before  gaining  the  fall — the  Kaml)as  and 
the  Aviia.  The  latter  were  our  guides,  and  they  said 
that  the  Fougamou,  the  real  fall,  was  above ;  so  we  as- 
cended the  steep  banks  of  the  river  for  about  a  quar- 
ter of  an  hour,  when  we  came  upon  the  object  of  our 
search.  The  river  here  was  about  150  yards  wide.  In 
the  middle  of  it  was  an  island,  dividing  the  fall  into  two 
parts,  and  I  could  only  see  the  half  of  the  fall  on  our 
side.  Between  the  island  and  the  main  land,  where  I 
stood,  the  distance  was  not  more  than  70  or  80  yards. 
The  fall  was  hardly  greater  than  15  feet,  and  that  was 
broken  in  the  centre  by  two  huge  granite  boulders,  which 
the  water  had  not  succeeded  in  wearing  away  or  detach- 
ing from  the  bed  of  rock  over  which  the  river  there  de- 
scended. Tlie  water  seemed  to  rush  in  an  enormous  vol- 
ume down  a  steep  incline.  The  cataract  itself  I  thought 
was  not  imposing,  but  below  it  was  one  of  the  grandest 
sights  I  ever  saw.  A  torrent  of  fearful  velocity  and 
great  volume  leaped  madly  along  in  huge  billows,  as 
though  the  whole  river  had  dropped  into  a  chasm,  and 
bounded  out  again  over  ridges  of  rocks.  The  scene  was 
rendered  more  magnificent  by  the  luxuriant  tropical  foli- 
age of  the  banks.  jS"othing  could  be  heard  but  the  noise 
of  the  cataract.  The  sky  was  cloudy,  a  fine  rain  w^as 
falling,  and  that  day  I  could  not  take  a  photograph  of 
the  grand  scene.  I  wanted  to  sleep  that  night  near  the 
fall,  but  my  Aviia  guides  were  frightened,  and  said  that 
the  great  spirit  Fougamou  would  come  during  the  night 
and  roar  with  such  fury  in  our  ears  that  we  could  not 
sur\dve  it ;  besides  which,  no  one  had  ever  slept  there. 
I  gave  you,  in  my  Apingi  Kingdom,  the  legend  con- 
F 


120 


THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 


cerning  the  Samba-Kagoshi  Falls  just  as  I  heard  it  from 
the  Apingi,  and  the  Aviia  repeated  it  to  me.  I  found 
that  the  Apingi  had  added  nothing  to  it  at  all. 

I  had  at  last  seen  the  famous  Samba-Kagoshi  Falls  at 
the  base  of  the  towering  Xkonmon-iS"abouali  Mountains. 
I  was  satisfied,  and  a  few  days  after  I  was  on  my  way 
back  to  Olenda's  village. 


->*-<$83  -^Wr^^^  l^P>^<^ 

'm 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE    DEATH    OF    EEMAXDJI. A    SINGULAR    SUPERSTITION. — 

OUTBREAK    OF    THE     PLAGUE. A   TOUCHING     LNCIDENT. — 

DYING    OFF   BY    SCORES. DEATH    OF   OLENDA. 

While  on  my  way  from  tlie  Falls  of  Samba-Nagoslii 
to  Olenda  a  secret  deputation  had  been  sent  to  him  from 
the  Apingi  country,  where,  as  you  are  aware,  I  had  been 
made  Idng,  and  where  the  people  were  so  superstitious 
about  me.  The  King  of  Apingi  had  sent  word  that 
Olenda  must  endeavor  to  dissuade  me  from  going  into 
Apingi  Land. 

It  appears  that,  after  I  had  left  the  Apingi  country,  the 
people  could  not  comprehend  what  had  become  of  me. 
They  would  come  to  Remandji  and  ask  him  if  he  knew 
where  I  was.  They  declared  that  he  had  hid  me  in  the 
forest  for  himself ;  that  he  was  jealous,  and  did  not  want 
his  people  to  see  me.  They  came  and  asked  for  presents, 
but  poor  Eemandji  told  them  that  the  Spirit  had  not  left 
him  many  things,  and  that  really  he  did  not  know  where 
I  had  gone ;  that  they  had  seen  me  disappear  in  the  for- 
est, and  had  heard  me  say  good-by  to  the  people  just  as 
he  had. 

A  few  days  after  my  departure  Eemandji  was  found 
dead  in  his  little  hut,  on  his  bed.  A  cry  of  anguish  rose 
from  one  end  of  the  village  to  the  other  when  the  news 
of  Remandji's  death  spread ;  the  people  felt  sorry,  for 


122  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

they  loved  liim.  There  was  mourning  and  lamentation 
in  the  Apingi  tribe. 

A  party  among  the  people  rose  and  exclaimed  that 
some  of  the  neighboring  people  had  killed  their  chief 
by  aniemba  (witchcraft),  because  they  were  jealous  of 
him — jealous  that  he  was  my  great  friend — jealous  that 
he  possessed  me. 

Another  party,  and  a  very  j)Owerf  ul  one,  having  on  its 
side  the  great  doctors  of  the  tribe,  who  had  been  consult- 
ed about  Eemandji's  death,  declared  that  the  Spirit  him- 
self, meaning  me,  had  killed  Remand ji,  for  I  loved  him 
so  much  I  could  not  part  with  him,  and  I  wanted  to  take 
his  spirit  with  me  wherever  I  w^enf. 

A  few  days  after  Remandji's  death  his  son  Okabi  died 
also.  Fear  seized  upon  the  Apingi  people.  "  Surely," 
said  they,  "the  Spirit  has  killed  Okabi  and  Remand  ji," 
and  many  were  oppressed  with  a  presentiment  of  death, 
for  many  had  been  my  friends,  and  from  that  day  they 
believed  that  when  I  left  a  country  I  killed  my  friends 
in  order  not  to  part  from  them.  The  present  chief  of 
the  Apingi  Land,  having  heard  of  my  arrival,  sent  a  dep- 
utation to  Olenda  with  the  words  "  I  do  not  want  to  see 
the  Spirit.  I  do  not  want  to  follow  him,  as  Remandji 
and  his  son  have  done,  but  rather  prefer  to  stop  at  home 
and  eat  plantain.  This  present  world  is  good  enough  for 
me." 

The  Apingi  messengers  were  afraid  of  me,  and  had 
gone  back  to  their  own  country  without  waiting  for  my 
appearance.  So,  after  the  departure  of  the  Apingi  mes- 
sengers, a  great  council  of  all  the  Ashira  chiefs  was  held 
to  decide  by  which  route  I  should  be  sent  into  the  far 
country. 


A  TERRIBLE  PLAQUE.  123 

It  was  detennined  iit  last  that  I  should  go  through  the 
Otando  country,  and  that  messengers  should  be  sent  at 
once  to  the  king  of  that  far-off  land,  telling  him  that 
Olenda  was  to  send  me  to  him.  Quengueza  then  made 
his  preparations  to  return  to  Goumbi. 

I  sent  my  men  out  hunting  every  day  to  drill  them 
and  accustom  them  to  fire-arms.  I  made  them  practice 
shooting  every  day,  so  that  they  might  become  better 
marksmen.  I  do  not  speak  of  Igala,  who  was  what 
might  have  been  called  a  dead  shot. 

A  few  days  after  what  I  have  just  related  to  you,  a 
man  called  Elanga,  a  grand-nephew  of  Olenda,  was  taken 
ill  with  a  disease  wdiich  the  natives  had  never  seen. 
Elanga  lived  a  long  distance  from  our  village,  but  his 
people  came  to  me  to  see  what  I  could  do  for  him.  The 
description  they  gave  me  was  that  of  the  small-pox.  I 
promised  to  go  and  see  him  the  next  day,  but  that  day 
the  news  came  that  Elanga  had  died.  There  was  a  great 
deal  of  mourning  and  wailing  among  the  people ;  they 
all  went  to  Elanga's  village  except  Olenda,  my  Commi 
men,  and  Quengueza's  people. 

Elanga  had  been  to  our  camp  to  fetch  our  baggage,  so 
immediately  the  people  said  Elanga  had  been  bewitched. 
I  went  to  see  the  body  of  Elanga ;  it  could  not  have  been 
recognized.  I  was  not  mistaken ;  the  worst  type  of  con- 
fluent or  black  small-pox  had  killed  him.  So  wdien  I  saw 
the  people  around  him  I  tried  to  dissuade  them  from 
touching  him,  and  advised  them  to  burn  every  thing 
with  which  he  had  ever  come  in  contact,  even  the  house 
where  he  slept.  Nevertheless,  the  mourning  ceremonies 
took  place  as  usual.  My  worst  fears  w^ere  realized.  Soon 
after,  two  cases  occurred  among  the  mourners ;  then  it 


124  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

spread  like  wildfire.  Pestilence  had  come  over  the  land. 
It  came  from  the  interior,  and  was  w^orking  its  ^vay  to- 
ward the  sea. 

The  plague  broke  out  with  terrible  violence  all  over 
the  country.  Olenda's  village  was  attacked;  Olenda's 
favorite  wife  was  the  first  victim.  Every  body  who  was 
attacked  died.  It  was  in  vain  that  I  begged  them  to  stop 
their  "mourning"  ceremonies.  Almost  every  body  who 
had  attended  Elanga's  funeral  had  caught  the  plague 
and  died.     A  cry  of  anguish  rose  over  the  land. 

I  established  a  quarantine  camp,  and  forbid  my  men 
to  move  out  of  it.  I  was  full  of  anxiety  on  account  of 
poor  Quengueza. 

Half  of  the  people  of  Olenda  had  died ;  half  of  the 
Ashira  had  gone  down  to  their  graves.  Olenda  is  still 
well. 

I  implored  Quengueza  to  go  back  to  his  country.  "  If 
you  love  me,  Quengueza,"  I  said,  "  go  home."  "  No," 
said  the  old  chief ;  "  to  leave  you  when  you  are  in  trou- 
ble !  I,  Quengueza,  do  such  a  thing !  JSTo,  Chally ;  the 
people  would  laugh  at  me,  and  say  '  Quengueza  had  no 
power  to  help  Chally  on  his  way.'  " 

Things  had  now  become  gloomy  indeed ;  the  storm  is 
threatening.  Rigoli,  Quengueza's  favorite  little  slave,  had 
taken  the  plague,  which  had  at  last  invaded  our  premises. 
Quengueza  took  him  into  his  own  hut.  I  was  horror- 
struck  at  the  idea,  and  cried,  "  Do  you  want  to  die, 
Quengueza?"  His  answer  was  beautiful.  "Hove  Ei- 
goli,"  said  he ;  "  he  is  the  child  of  an  old  slave  my  broth- 
er Oganda  left  me.  I  can  take  better  care  of  him  here. 
If  I  get  the  plague  it  will  be  God's  palaver."  I  looked 
at  this  savage  king,  and  his  noble  reply  made  me  love 


QUENQUEZA  ASKS  FOB  A  BELL.  i25 

him  more  than  ever.  A  few  days  afterward  Eigoli  was 
dead. 

Three  several  times  a  gang  of  men  had  been  sent  for 
the  transportation  of  my  baggage  to  the  Otando  coun- 
try ;  three  times  within  a  few  days  the  plague  had  car- 
ried away  the  greater  number  of  them. 

I  succeeded  in  making  Quengueza  send  a  large  num- 
ber of  his  people  back  to  Goumbi.  Then  thirty  Ashira 
men  were  mustered.  I  wanted  them  to  go  with  my  men 
to  the  Otando  country  with  part  of  the  luggage.  To  this 
my  Commi  men  demurred.  "How  can  we  leave  you 
here  ?  Who,  in  the  midst  of  this  fearful  disease,  shall 
cook  for  you?  Some  of  us  must  remain  with  you. 
These  Ashira  may  poison  you  by  putting  the  gall  of  a 
leopard  into  your  food.  Some  of  us  will  stay  with  you, 
come  what  may ;  if  we  are  to  die,  we  will  die  by  you." 
Noble  fellows ! 

So,  with  the  thirty  men  which  Olenda  could  now  place 
at  my  disposition,  I  sent  Igala,  Rebouka,  Mouitchi,  Rape- 
lina,  Rogueri.  Poor  Olenda  could  only  give  me  thirty 
men,  for  his  people  were  either  down  with  the  plague  or 
dead.  Olenda  promised  solemnly  to  Quengueza  that  as 
soon  as  the  men  came  back  he  would  send  tliem  with  me 
to  the  Otando. 

In  the  mean  time  intelli2:ence  had  been  received  that 
the  plague  had  reached  the  banks  of  the  Rembo-Ovenga, 
and  that  Bakalai  and  Commi  were  dying  fast ;  so  old 
Quengueza  took  his  departure  for  Goumbi,  but  not  be- 
fore I  took  a  good  photograpli  of  him. 

Before  he  left  us  he  said,  "  Chally,  when  you  come 
back  with  your  people,  bring  me  a  big  bell  that  rings 
ding,  dang,  dong,  a  silver  sword  that  will  never  rust,  a 
brass  chest,  and  plenty  of  fine  things." 


126  THE  CO  UNTR  Y  OF  THE  D  WARES. 

I  accompanied  Quengueza  part  of  the  way  over  the 
prairie.  How  sad  I  felt !  for  if  I  ever  loved  a  friend  I 
loved  friend  Quengueza,  and  just  before  we  were  to  turn 
our  backs  upon  each  other  there  was  a  pause.  "  Chally, 
go  back  to  Olenda,"  said  Quengueza  to  me.  Then  he 
took  my  two  hands  in  his  own,  blew  upon  them,  and  in- 
voked the  spirits  of  his  ancestors  to  follow  me  as  they 
had  followed  him.  We  looked  in  each  other's  face  once 
more  for  an  instant,  and  parted,  he  going  toward  the  sea, 
and  I  toward  the  interior.  I  stood  still  as  the  old  man 
moved  away ;  he  turned  several  times  to  get  a  glimpse 
of  me,  but  soon  disappeared  in  the  tall  grass  of  the  prai- 
rie. He  had  but  few  of  his  people  with  him,  for  the 
plague  had  come  heavily  on  Goumbi,  and  many  had 
died  of  it. 

Quengueza  had  hardly  left  the  country  when  the 
plague  became  yet  more  terrible ;  not  a  day  passed  with- 
out its  hundreds  of  victims.  A  cry  of  anguish  was  all 
over  the  land;  the  wailings,  the  mournful  songs  were 
heard  every  where. 

At  last  there  were  not  left  well  people  enough  to  fetch 
food,  and  famine  succeeded  to  the  pestilence.  My  poor 
Commi  men,  who  went  in  search  of  food  in  the  neigh- 
borino:  villao-es,  were  driven  back,  threatened  with  death 
by  the  terrified  inhabitants,  who  shouted,  "  The  Spirit 
with  whom  you  came  has  brought  this  eviva  (plague) 
upon  us.     What  have  we  done  to  him  T 

Not  one  of  Olenda's  numerous  wives  was  well,  but  the 
king  remained  my  steadfast  friend.  He  said  to  his  sick 
people  that  he  remembered  that  when  he  was  a  boy  the 
same  thing  had  come  over  the  land.  How  glad  I  was  to 
have  Olenda  on  my  side ! 


HA  VA  QES  OF  THE  PL  A  Q  UE.  \  2  7 

A  few  days  after  the  departure  of  Qnengneza,  if  you 
had  been  in  my  little  hut,  you  would  have  seen  me  seat- 
ed on  the  side  of  my  bed,  my  head  resting  on  my  hands, 
in  utter  loneliness  and  desolation  of  heart. 

My  boy  Retonda  had  died  and  been  buried  that  day. 
How  could  I  feel  otherwise  than  unhappy  when  a  whole 
country  was  cursing  me,  and  the  people  were  more  afraid 
of  me  than  of  the  plague  itself  % 

In  my  own  little  hut  I^goma  was  lying  near  unto  death ; 
the  crisis  had  come  to  him  ;  his  pulse  was  low.  Was  he 
to  die  also  % 

After  a  while  I  approached  Ngoma,  and  said, "  J^goma, 
my  boy,  how  do  yon  feel  T  He  could  hardly  speak ;  the 
disease  had  gone  also  into  his  throat ;  he  could  not  see — 
he  was  blind  ;  mortification  had  set  in,  and  the  smell  em- 
anating from  him  was  dreadful,  and  yet  there  I  had  to 
sleep. 

In  the  next  hut  to  mine  lay  Igala-Yengo ;  he  too  was 
taken  with  the  plague.  Poor  Igala-Yengo  was  one  of 
Quengueza's  slaves,  and  had  said  to  his  master  that  he 
would  go  with  me. 

Those  were  indeed  dark  days  for  me.  One  morning, 
as  I  went  to  ask  old  Olenda  how  he  was,  he  said, ''  My 
head  pains  me,  and  I  am  so  thirsty."  That  day  he  laid 
him  down  on  his  bed  never  to  get  up  again.  For  two 
days  the  fever  increased,  and  part  of  the  time  I  was  by 
his  bedside.  The  good  chief,  seeing  my  sorrowful  coun- 
tenance, would  say,  "  Chally,  do  not  grieve.  It  is  not 
your  fault  if  I  am  sick.     You  have  not  made  me  ill." 

Oh,  these  words  sounded  sweetly  to  me.     I  left  him 

toward  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening  to  go  to  my  hut  to 

get  a  little  rest,  and  found  poor  Ngoma  a  little  better. 

F  2 


128         THE  CO  UNTR  Y  OF  THE  D  WARES. 

I  did  not  want  Macondai  to  sleep  in  my  hut;  he  was 
the  only  one  besides  myself  that  had  not  been  seized  by 
the  plague. 

As  I  lay  wide  awake  on  my  couch,  suddenly  I  heard  a 
cry  of  anguish,  a  shriek  from  house  to  house.  A  shud- 
der came  over  me.  Olenda  was  dead — Olenda,  my  only 
friend,  was  dead. 

As  soon  as  that  shriek  was  heard,  Macondai,  in  despite 
of  my  former  orders,  rushed  into  my  hut  and  said, "  Chal- 
ly,  are  your  guns  loaded  ?  are  your  revolvers  ready  ?  for 
I  do  not  know  what  the  Asliira  may  do,  since  the  great 
Olenda  is  dead." 

I  confess  that  I  partook  of  Macondai's  apprehensions, 
but  I  said  to  him,  "  Be  of  good  cheer,  my  boy ;  there  is 
but  one  God,  and  he  will  battle  for  us.  Men  can  only 
kill  the  body." 

This  was  a  terrible  blow  for  me,  tlie  consequences  of 
which  I  could  not  foresee.  Olenda,  before  dying,  or- 
dered his  people  to  take  care  of  me,  and  in  a  short  time 
passed  away  as  peacefully  as  if  lie  had  gone  to  sleep. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

BURIAL    OF     OLENDA. A    DESOLATED    VALLEY. SUSPICIONS 

AEOUSED. ROBBERY. PAUL  IN  PERPLEXING  CIRCUM- 
STANCES.  FREEING  A  MAN  FROM  THE  STOCKS. RAV- 
AGES  OF   THE   PLAGUE. 

The  clay  of  Olenda's  burial  had  come,  but  there  were 
hardly  people  enough  left  to  bury  him — such  had  been 
the  devastations  of  the  plague.  Xot  far  from  the  village 
stood  in  the  prairie  a  little  grove  of  trees,  beneath  whose 
shade  the  chiefs  of  the  Ademba  clan,  to  which  Olenda 
belonged,  were  always  buried ;  but  it  had  been  long  since 
an  interment  had  taken  place  there,  for  Olenda  had  out- 
lived his  brothers  a  score  of  years.  All  the  people  who 
could  came  to  the -funeral  of  their  chief. 

Olenda  looked  as  if  he  were  asleep.  They  had  dressed 
him  in  the  big  coat  I  had  given  him,  and  came  to  ask  me 
if  I  would  give  to  my  friend  Olenda  the  umbrella  1  had. 
It  was  the  only  one  I  had,  but  I  could  not  well  refuse, 
and  I  said,  "Take  it." 

They  bore  Olenda's  body  to  the  grove  of  trees  with 
many  manifestations  of  deep  sorrow,  shouting, "  He  will 
not  talk  of  us  any  more ;  he  will  not  speak  to  us  any 
more.  Oh,  Olenda,  why  have  you  left  us  ?  Is  it  because 
we  are  all  dying  ?"  I  followed  the  body  to  the  grave, 
and  I  saw  that  they  seated  him  on  his  big  coat,  and  put 


1 3  2  "^HE  CO  UNTR  Y  OF  THE  D  WARES. 

over  his  head  the  umbrella  I  had  ^iven  them  for  him. 


^^ 


By  his  side  was  placed  a  chest  containing  the  presents  I 
had  brought  for  him,  and  also  plates,  jugs,  cooking  uten- 
sils, his  favorite  pipe,  and  some  tobacco ;  a  fire  was  kin- 
dled, which  was  to  be  kept  up  from  day  to  day  for  a  long 
time,  and  food  and  water  was  brought,  which  was  also  to 
be  daily  replenished  for  an  indefinite  period. 

Before  dying,  Olenda  had  told  his  people  that  he  was 
not  to  leave  them  entirely;  he  would  come  back  from 
time  to  time  to  see  how  they  were  getting  on  ;  so,  for  a 
few  days  after  his  death,  the  people  would  swear  that 
they  saw  Olenda  in  the  middle  of  the  night  walking  in 
the  village,  and  that  he  had  repeated  to  them  that  he 
had  not  left  them  entirely. 

The  once  beautiful  Ashira,  at  the  sight  of  which  I  had 
fallen  into  ecstasies,  had  now  become  the  valley  of  death. 
Crazy  men  and  women,  made  crazy  only  by  the  plague, 
wandered  about  till  they  died  on  the  roadside.  Every 
body  was  afraid  of  his  neighbor ;  they  had  found  out, 
at  last,  that  the  disease  was  contagious,  and  when  one  got 
"it  he  was  left  to  liimself,  and  the  poor  creature  w^ould 
die  of  starvation  :  his  wife,  his  father,  his  mother,  his  sis- 
ter, his  brother,  if  any  such  relatives  had  been  left  to  him 
by  the  plague,  would  fiy  away  from  him  as  from  the  curse 
of  God. 

My  Commi  men  did  not  come  back ;  I  wondered  why, 
and  began  to  feel  very  anxious  about  them.  What  had 
become  of  them  ?  What  a  blunder  I  had  made  in  letting 
these  men  go  ahead  of  me !  I  would  have  given  the 
world  to  see  them  again  with  me,  for  I  did  not  know 
what  those  far-away  people  would  do  to  them. 

Strange  rumors  came  from  the  Otando  country  :  the 


DARK  SUSPICIONS.  I33 

news  was  that  the  people  did  not  want  me  to  come,  as  I 
carried  with  me  the  eviva  (plague)  w^herever  I  went. 

Several  weeks  passed  away;  no  tidings  of  my  men, 
no  tidings  of  Arangui,  or  of  the  Ashiras  who  had  gone 
with  them.  The  plague  w^as  now  diminishing  in  viru- 
lence for  want  of  victims,  for,  except  Macondai  and  my- 
self, every  body  had  been  attacked  with  it,  and  those  who 
did  not  succumb  had  recovered  or  were  fast  recovering. 
In  the  beginning,  every  body  attacked  was  sure  to  die. 

I  began  to  feel  suspicious,  for  three  Otando  men  had 
come  to  me  and  told  me  they  had  important  intelligence 
to  communicate,  but  could  not  give  it  just  then,  and  had 
promised  to  come  back  after  two  days.  Three  days  had 
passed  away,  and  I  heard  one  night  somebody  talking  in 
a  hut ;  I  listened  outside,  and  was  rewarded  by  finding 
out  that  the  Ashiras  had  frightened  away  the  three  Otan- 
do men,  w4io  had  gone  back  to  Mayolo. 

At  length  three  of  my  Commi  men  suddenly  made 
their  appearance  from  Mayolo  by  themselves.  I  was 
thunderstruck;  the  Ashiras  of  the  village  w^ere  fright- 
ened.    "What  did  all  this  mean  ? 

Rebouka,  Mouitchi,  and  Rapelina  were  the  good  fel- 
lows. Thougli  it  had  taken  four  days  to  come  from  the 
Otando  country,  they  had  found  their  way  back.  They 
were  armed  to  the  teeth,  and  looked  like  terrible  war- 
riors. Igala,  tired  of  waiting  for  me,  had  sent  them 
back  to  see  wliat  was  the  matter. 

I  now  learned  that  the  Ashiras  had  returned  long  ago, 
and,  though  weeks  had  passed  away,  I  had  seen  none  of 
them.  I  heard  also  that  several  of  the  loads  had  never 
reached  Mayolo ;  that  the  jwrters  had  gone  back  to  their 
plantations  with  them  ;  tliat  Arangui  was  at  the  l)ottom 


134  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

of  all  the  thie^^ng ;  and  that  Igala,  with  all  his  threats, 
could  not  make  the  porters  sleep  together  near  him  at 
night.  Then,  to  cap  the  whole  thing,  they  told  me  that 
Arangui  had  seized  one  of  the  Otando  men  that  had 
come  to  see  me,  and  that  this  was  the  reason  why  the 
other  two  had  fled. 

"  What  is  to  be  done  ?"  said  I  to  myself.  "  I  mnst  be 
crafty  and  cunning,  and  as  wise  as  a  serpent."  It  would 
never  have  done  to  get  in  a  rage. 

I  told  my  men  to  keep  quiet,  and  not  to  say  a  w^ord 
about  the  robbery.  I  did  not  want  to  frighten  them — I 
wanted  more  porters. 

It  did,  indeed,  require  a  great  amount  of  self-control 
for  me  to  keep  cool  when  I  was  quite  certain  that  all  the 
men  of  the  village  knew  that  I  had  been  plundered  by 
their  own  people,  and  that  probably  most  of  them  had 
been  sharers  of  the  plunder.  Even  Ondonga,  who  now 
was  chief  of  the  village  and  a  cousin  of  Arangui,  knew 
all  about  it.  It  is  wonderful  how  savages  can  keep  se- 
crets :  not  a  child,  not  a  woman,  not  a  man  in  the  coun- 
try had  breathed  to  me  the  slightest  word  on  the  subject. 

That  night  I  kept  revolving  in  my  mind  how  I  must 
act  to  get  out  of  the  scrape.  I  said  to  myself,  "  I  must 
become  a  hypocrite,  and  fight  cunning  with  cunning,  in 
order  to  win." 

The  next  morning  I  said  to  my  men, "  Tell  the  Ashiras 
that  you  have  not  said  a  word  to  me  about  the  robbery, 
for  you  were  afraid  that  I  might  kill  some  of  them  if  I 
knew  it ;  and  tell  Ondonga,  Mintcho,  and  their  people 
that  you  know  they  are  too  great  friends  of  mine  and  of 
Quengueza  to  have  had  any  thing  to  do  with  the  plun- 
der.    Tell  them  that  you  were  obliged  to  tell  me  about 


A  LYING  MASCAL.  I35 

Arangui  and  the  seizure  of  the  man  in  order  to  give 
an  excuse  for  youi*  coming."  I  then  dismissed  them 
with  sayingj  "Boys,  mind  and  do  just  as  I  have  told 
you." 

To  Ondonga,  patting  him  on  the  shoulder,  though  I 
felt  like  blowing  out  his  brains,  I  said, "  Ondonga,  I  know 
that  you  are  my  friend ;  I  know  that  the  Olenda  people 
are  good  people.  I  know  that  you  never  knew  of  the 
return  of  Arangui ;  if  you  had  known  it  you  would  have 
surely  told  me." 

Ondonga  swore  that  it  was  so ;  he  would  have  told  me 
at  once. 

I  shouted  so  that  every  body  could  hear  me,  "  Of 
course,  Ondonga ;  I  know  that  you  would  have  told  me, 
for  you  have  a  heart,  and  would  not  tell  a  lie.  Why  did 
friend  Arangid  do  such  a  thing  as  to  seize  that  Otando 
man — Arangui,  whom  I  loved  so  much  ?  The  only  thing 
Ai-angui  can  do  is  to  give  up  the  man.  Must  he  not  give 
up  the  man,  Ashiras  ?"  I  cried. 

"  Yes !"  exclaimed  the  people ;  "  Arangui  must  give 
up  the  man." 

I  knew  very  well  that  no  Ashira  man  would  dare  to 
go  into  the  Otando  country  after  having  put  in  nchogo 
an  Otando  man,  for  they  would  all  be  seized,  and  then 
who  should  carry  my  baggage  ? 

Mintcho  and  Ondonga  said  to  me,  "We  will  go  at  once 
to  Arangui's  plantation  to  see  if  he  is  there."  "  He  must 
have  been  hiding  from  us,"  said  Mintcho,  with  a  laugh. 
"  Hypocrite,"  said  I  to  myself,  "  what  a  l}ing  rascal  you 
are !" 

They  went  to  Arangui's  plantation,  and  on  their  re- 
turn, as  soon  as  they  saw  me,  they  shouted, "  That  is  so ; 


136 


THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 


Arangui  is  back.  Arangui  is  a  noka  (rogue,  liar),  and 
none  of  us  knew  it." 

"  Ondonga,  my  friend,"  I  whispered,  "  a  necklace  of 
beads  shall  be  on  your  neck  to-night"  (and  I  felt  very 
much  like  putting  a  rope  around  his  neck  and  choking 
him).     "  Now  tell  me  the  palaver." 

Ondonga  said, "  Two  dry  and  two  rainy  seasons  ago, 
the  Otando  people  seized  a  relative  of  Arangui  because 
Arangui  owed  them  two  slaves  and  had  not  brought  the 
goods,  and  the  man  is  still  kept  in  nchogo  (the  native 
stocks).  Arangui  wanted  his  relative  back,  and  by  keep- 
ing that  man  he  thought  they  W'Ould  send  back  his  rela- 
tive." 


^W=    f 


PEISONEE   IN  KCnOtIO, 


BELEASED  FROM  THE  STOCKS.  137 

I  knew  that,  according  to  African  fashion,  this  palaver 
would  last  several  years.  That  would  never  do  for  me, 
for  I  must  be  off. 

My  men  said  that  what  Ondonga  had  said  was  true ; 
they  had  heard  so  in  the  Otando  country ;  so  I  sent  Mint- 
cho  back,  and  said  to  him,  "  Tell  friend  Arangui  that  he 
must  give  up  the  man.  If  I  had  not  to  take  care  of  my 
people  I  would  go  and  see  him.  Tell  him  that  he  must 
do  that  for  his  friend  Chally.  Did  not  Arangui  take 
Quengueza  and  myself  from  Obindji's  place  to  come 
here  ?" 

The  two  rascals  Mintcho  and  Ondono-a  went  ao-ain, 
and  several  days  elapsed  before  Arangui  let  the  man  go. 
He  did  not  do  it  until  he  was  taken  ill  with  the  plague ; 
then  he  became  frightened,  and  thought  I  was  going  to 
kill  him,  so  he  immediately  gave  up  the  man,  and  On- 
donga and  Mintcho  brought  him  in  triumph  to  me. 
Poor  fellow!  his  legs  were  dreadfully  lacerated. 

The  plague  was  in  its  last  stage.  Arangui  had  been 
the  only  one  who  had  not  taken  it  before.  The  Otando 
man  had  not  had  it,  and  I  was  afraid  he  would  catch  it. 
If  he  were  to  die  of  it  in  the  country  of  the  Ashiras,  not 
one  of  them  would  dare  to  go  into  that  of  the  Otandos, 
and  that  would  be  the  end  of  my  trip ;  so  it  was  neces- 
sary that  I  should  hurry  my  departure.  If  it  had  not 
been  for  the  rascality  of  Arangui  I  would  have  been  in 
the  Otando  country  two  months  ago.  The  thought  of 
this  made  my  blood  boil,  and  I  felt  very  much  like  hang- 
ing Arangui  to  the  nearest  tree. 

It  was  the  first  time  that  I  had  been  robbed  in  Africa, 
and  that  by  Olenda's  people.  I  knew  they  would  not 
have  done  it  if  their  old  chief  had  been  alive. 


1 3  8  THE  CO  UNTR  T  OF  THE  D  WARES. 

What  a  sea  of  trouble  poor  Paul  Du  Chaillu  had  to 
contend  with  !  Indeed,  these  were  days  of  trial ;  but  I 
had  to  face  them,  and  I  faced  them  manfully,  though 
several  times  I  was  on  the  verge  of  despair. 

By  some  means  news  of  the  death  of  Olenda  had 
reached  Quengueza,  and  I  was  astonished  one  day  to  re- 
ceive a  messenger  from  him  with  word  that,  as  Olenda 
had  left  no  people  to  carry  me  and  my  goods  to  the  next 
country,  he  was  coming  to  take  me  to  another  Ashira 
clan  that  had  people.  This  frightened  Ondonga,  and  he 
tried  hard  to  get  porters  for  me. 

Terrible  tidings  now  came  from  Goumbi :  all  the 
Goumbi  people  that  had  come  with  Quengueza  to  the 
Ashira  country  had  died  of  the  plague;  nearly  all  the 
nephews  of  Quengueza  were  dead;  Obindji  had  died, 
and  every  Bakalai  chief.  In  some  of  the  Bakalai  vil- 
lages not  a  human  being  had  been  left.  Death  had 
come  over  the  land.  But  Quengueza  had  been  spared ; 
the  plague  had  not  touched  him,  though  his  head  slave, 
good  old  Mombon,  was  no  more. 


CHAPTEE  Xiy. 

DEPARTUEE  FEOM  ASHIKA  LAND. A  SILENT   LEAVE-TAKING. 

THIEVISH  PORTEKS. —  A  CUNNING  OLD  RASCAL. MIS- 
FORTUNE ON  ]\nSFORTUNE. WITHOUT  FOOD  IN  THE  FOR- 
EST.  A  DESPERATE   PLOT. FEASTING    ON   MONKEY-MEAT. 

OUT   OF   THE   WOODS. 

The  threat  of  Quengueza  had  the  desired  effect.  At 
last  On  donga  succeeded  in  getting  porters,  who,  with  my 
own  men,  made  the  number  of  our  company  about  thir- 
ty. No  amount  of  pay  could  induce  more  to  come. 
They  were  afraid  of  trouble.  They  could  not  tell  what 
the  trouble  would  be,  but  they  had  a  vague  fear  that 
something  dreadful  was  impending. 

Every  thing  that  we  coidd  not  take  with  us  I  either 
gave  away  or  destroyed. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  16th  of  March  I  left 
Ashira  Land.  How  I  had  suffered  in  that  poor,  unfortu- 
nate land !  The  plague  had  destroyed  the  people,  and 
the  survivors  accused  me  of  having  destroyed  the  victims 
of  the  plague.  Then  things  had  looked  so  dark  that 
many  and  many  a  time  I  thought  the  end  had  come ; 
that  no  more  explorations  were  to  be  made,  and  I  fully 
expected  to  be  murdered  by  the  infuriated  savages. 

My  party  of  ten  Commi  men  had  been  reduced  to  sev- 
en. Eetonda  had  died ;  Eogueri,  a  slave,  had  run  away, 
and  it  was  he  who  had  advised  the  Ashira  to  rob  me,  and 


140  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

who  had  tried  to  disabuse  them  of  my  power.  The 
plague  had  disabled  Igala-Yengo.  He  was  going  back 
to  Goumbi  now  that  he  was  much  better,  and  he  w^as  to 
take  letters  for  me. 

I  felt  thankful  that  God  had  spared  the  lives  of  so 
many  of  my  men,  for  Kebouka,  Mouitchi,  and  Eapeliua 
took  it  on  their  return  from  Otando. 

I  was  anxious  about  Macondai ;  he  was  the  only  one 
who  had  not  had  the  plague,  as  you  are  aware ;  and,  leav- 
ing the  Ashira  country,  I  knew  that  I  was  going  into  a 
country  where  the  plague  had  not  yet  disappeared. 

This  time  there  was  no  gun-firing  as  we  left  old  Olen- 
da's  village,  no  singing,  nothing — we  left  silently.  I  had 
misgivings.  I  thought  of  mischief  brewing  ahead,  and  I 
was  not  mistaken. 

That  day  we  crossed  the  Ovenga,  and  followed  a  path 
which  led  to  one  of  Olenda's  large  plantations ;  there  I 
found  a  considerable  village  of  Olenda's  slaves,  a  slave 
himself  being  chief  over  the  village.  His  name  was  Ma- 
yombo. 

All  the  porters  did  not  reach  the  place  that  evening. 
Ondonga  himself  had  not  come.  The  next  morning  he 
came  with  the  news  that  several  of  the  porters  had  run 
away,  lea^dng  their  boxes  in  the  path,  and  that  he  had 
been  compelled  to  go  back  and  fetch  more  porters. 

Then  I  discovered  that  three  boxes  of  goods  were  miss- 
ing, and  I  became  furious.  Ondonga  got  frightened ;  I 
knew  the  rascal  was  at  the  bottom  of  the  mischief,  and 
once  or  twice  I  felt  like  making  an  example  of  him  by 
calling  a  council  of  war,  composed  of  my  men  and  my- 
self, and,  upon  the  clear  proof  of  his  guilt,  shooting  him 
dead  on  the  spot. 


A  PACK  OF  EASCALS.  14X 

Ondonga  swore  that  he  would  find  the  thieves ;  but  the 
boxes  came  back,  and  they  had  been  broken  open,  and 
many  things  were  missing.  Ondonga  pretended  to  be 
in  a  violent  rage,  and  declared  in  a  loud  voice  that  there 
should  be  war,  and  that  the  thieves  sliould  be  sold  into 
slavery.  It  was  all  I  could  do  to  restrain  myself  from 
breaking  the  fellow's  head. 

The  acting  was  superb.  The  old  chief  and  some  of 
the  slaves  seized  their  spears,  and  shouted, ''Let  us  go 
after  the  thieves  !"  They  hurried  out  of  the  place  shout- 
ing, cursing,  and  vowing  death  to  the  thieves.  They  were 
the  thieves  themselves ;  but  I  kept  gooI,  and  thought  the 
day  of  reckoning  would  come. 

Misfortune  seemed  to  come  upon  misfortune.  That 
day  Macondai  complained  of  a  violent  back-ache.  He 
had  the  plague ;  this  was  one  of  the  first  symptoms. 

What  could  I  do  ?  When  we  left  the  plantation  the 
dear  good  fellow  tried  to  walk  with  us,  but  he  became 
so  ill  that  we  were  forced  to  come  to  a  stand  in  the 
woods.  No  greater  calamity  could  have  befallen  me.  I 
felt  as  if  I  could  cry,  for  my  fortitude  was  on  the  point 
of  giving  way,  and  it  seemed  as  though  the  hand  of  God 
w^as  against  me. 

Wlien  any  thing  very  important  had  taken  or  was 
about  to  take  place,  it  was  always  my  custom  to  summon 
my  Commi  men,  and  hold  a  council  to  see  what  was  to 
be  done.  So  my  faithful  body-guard  were  now  sum- 
moned to  my  side.  As  soon  as  we  were  seated  together, 
every  one  of  us  wearing  an  anxious  look,  I  said,  "  Boys, 
you  will  go  ahead ;  I  will  remain  here  and  take  care  of 
Macondai." 

The  men  said, "  No,  Chally."     Macondai  himself  said 


142  THE  CO  UNTR  Y  OF  TEE  D  WARES. 

no.  "  If  we  go  without  you,"  said  the  men, "  they  will 
begin  stealing  again."  "  If  you  do  not  go,"  said  Macon- 
dai  at  once, "  you  will  not  have  one  porter  left,  for  I  heard 
to-day  some  say  they  w^ere  afraid  to  follow  you;  they 
were  "afraid  on  account  of  those  who  had  robbed  you; 
and  if  you  give  them  time  to  talk  together,  they  will 
agree  to  run  away.  Go  now,  Chally,"  said  Macondai, 
"  for  if  you  do  not  you  will  never  reach  Mayolo.  I  shall 
get  well." 

After  some  consultation  it  was  agreed  that  Igalo 
should  remain  with  Macondai  on  a  small  plantation  near 
at  hand,  and  Ondonga  said  the  Ashira  would  take  care 
of  him.  I  could  not  bear  parting  wdth  Macondai.  I 
knew,  of  course,  that  the  Ashira  would  not  dare  to  mur- 
der him,  but  then  he  was  ill. 

After  making  every  possible  provision  I  could  for  the 
comfort  of  the  sick  boy,  and  enjoining  upon  Igalo  never 
to  leave  him,  and  after  weighing  out  medicine  to  be  giv- 
en him  at  stated  times,  we  continued  our  march ;  but  I 
was  so  wretched  that  I  can  not  describe  to  you  my  feel- 
ings. 

The  traveling  was  exceedingly  toilsome.  The  men 
were  overloaded,  and  I  myself  carried  on  my  back  in  my 
otaitai  over  sixty  pounds  of  ammunition,  besides  having 
my  heavy  revolvers  slung  by  my  side,  and  my  most  for- 
midable double-barreled  breech-loader  on  my  shoulder. 
The  path — for  there  was  a  path — lay  through  a  most  pic- 
turesque country,  and  along  a  mountain  range,  extending 
north  and  south,  which  lies  between  the  country  of  the 
Ashira  and  the  Otandos.  The  hills  of  this  range  were 
very  much  broken  up,  so  that  we  did  nothing  else  than 
make  continuous  ascents  and  descents.     T]ie  forest  was 


THIEVISH  PORTERS.  1 4 3 

dense,  and  impeded  with  numerous  blocks  of  quartz 
which  lay  strewn  along  the  path  nearly  all  the  way,  and 
quartz  crystals  covered  the  beds  of  the  sparkling  rivulets 
that  flowed  at  the  bottom  of  every  valley. 

It  was  very  tiresome  indeed,  and  I  felt  sad,  very  sad, 
for  I  knew  not  how  things  would  end.  I  kept  thinking 
of  Macondai.  I  w^as  not  master  of  the  position ;  they 
might  rob  me.  I  could  do  nothing,  for  two  of  my  men 
were  left  in  their  hands — Igalo  and  Macondai. 

The  second  _day  of  our  march  we  came  to  the  River 
Louvendji,  which  I  had  crossed,  if  you  remember,  in  for- 
mer years  going  to  the  Apingi  country ;  and  very  beauti- 
ful the  Louvendji  is.  The  banks  w^here  we  forded  the 
river  were  lined  with  beautifid  palm-trees. 

The  porters  began  to  lag  behind  under  the  pretext  that 
the  loads  were  too  heavy  for  them.  For  two  days  I  had 
succeeded  in  making  all  the  porters  keep  up  with  me 
and  sleep  in  my  bivouac ;  but  there  was  not  much  sleep 
for  me  or  my  men,  for  w^e  had  to  keep  a  sharp  look  on 
the  porters,  though  they  were  not  armed,  lest  they  should 
have  given  ^vord  to  their  people  beforehand  to  hide  spears 
and  bow^s  and  arrow^s  somewhere  in  the  forest  near  wdiere 
they  knew  we  would  camp  for  the  night. 

The  third  night,  in  despite  of  all  my  endeavors,  some 
of  the  men  would  not  keep  pace  with  us ;  so,  when  I  or- 
dered the  people  to  stop  for  the  night,  Mintcho  and  a  few 
men  were  missing.  I  knew  at  once  that  something  was 
wrong,  and  I  said  to  the  Ashira  that  were  w^ith  me  that 
if  I  saw  one  of  them  move  off  I  would  shoot  him  on  the 
spot. 

The  next  morning  we  waited  for  Mintcho  and  the  men, 
and  they  made  their  appearance  an  hour  after  sunrise. 

G 


144         THE  CO  rXTR  Y  OF  THE  D  WAUFS. 

Mintcho  immediately  affected  to  be  very  angry  with  them. 
"  I  waited  for  you,"  shouted  he,  "  and  you  did  not  come, 
so  I  could  not  come  and  sleep  by  the  side  of  my  friend 
Chally.  Where  did  you  sleep  ?  I  blew  the  horn  and  you 
did  not  answer." 

He  raised  some  of  the  boxes  from  the  ground,  and 
cried, "  Yes,  these  are  not  as  heavy  as  they  were ;  you 
have  been  stealing  my  white  man's  things;  you  are 
thieves."  At  this  the  culprits  got  frightened  for  fear 
of  punishment  from  me,  and,  leaving  their  loads  in  the 
road,  fled  into  the  jungle. 

Then  came  a  tremendous  excitement.  The  men  open- 
ly declared  that  it  was  no  use  to  go  farther  w4th  the  white 
man,  for  they  would  not  get  any  pay,  as  some  people  had 
robbed  him ;  that  they  had  worked  for  nothing. 

It  was  a  plot;  they  were  all  in  it.  I  saw  that  they 
wanted  to  leave  me  in  the  forest.  Some  had  not  dared 
to  steal,  but  Mintclio  was  the  chief  thief.  I  forgot  my- 
self, and  accused  him  of  it.  It  was  a  mistake  on  my  part. 
Mintcho  appeared  to  be  terribly  angry  at  my  accusing 
him.  I  saw  the  blunder  at  once,  and  I  retracted  and 
said  that  his  people  had  stolen  my  property,  and  I  did  not 
see  why  he  should  not  be  responsible  for  them ;  that  such 
was  the  law  of  the  country.  "  But,"  said  I, "  Mintcho,  I 
know  that  you  are  my  fiiend,  and  that  you  would  not  do 
such  a  thing  yourself."  As  we  were  talking,  more  por- 
ters ran  away,  leaving  their  loads  on  the  ground. 

This  strange  scene  had  taken  place  at  a  distance  from 
any  river.  Things  had  come  to  a  crisis ;  something  was 
to  be  done  at  once,  or  I  should  be  left  alone  in  the  woods. 
Mintcho  and  a  few  porters  were  the  only  ones  left.  I 
could  not  allow  them  to  go  ;  so,  calling  my  Commi  men, 


DECISIVE  ME  AS  URES.  147 

I  said,  pointing  my  gun  at  Mintclio,  "  If  you  make  a  step 
one  way  or  the  other,  you  are  a  dead  man."  In  the  mean 
time  my  men,  pointing  their  guns  at  the  Ashira,  shouted, 
"  You  are  dead  men  if  you  move."  The  fact  was  sim- 
ply that,  if  Macondai  and  Igalo  had  not  been  left  behind, 
there  would  have  been  bloodshed.  Apprehensions  for 
their  safety  alone  prevented  me  from  resorting  to  very 
strong  measures. 

So  I  said,  "  Mintcho  and  you  Ashira  men  must  take 
those  loads  and  carry  them  to  the  river ;  then  you  will 
come  back  and  take  what  remains  to  the  same  place,  till 
every  one  of  the  packages  has  been  carried  tliither.  If 
you  try  to  run  away  you  w^ill  be  shot ;"  and  I  ordered  all 
my  Commi  men,  who  liad  now  become  furious,  to  shoot 
down  the  first  man  that  tried  to  escape  into  the  jungle. 
"  Follow  them,"  said  I  to  Rebouka ;  "  never  let  Mintcho 
move  from  you  more  than  a  step ;  shoot  him  dead  if  he 
goes  two  yards."  Rebouka  swore  that  he  w^ould  shoot 
him  dead.  Mouitchi,  j^goma,  and  Eapelina  followed  the 
other  Ashiras. 

So  they  went,  I  remaining  all  alone  to  watch  the  goods. 
I  had  become  furious,  and  it  required  all  my  self-com- 
mand not  to  shoot  Mintcho  as  a  robber.  I  kept  the 
sharpest  lookout  in  every  direction ;  my  revolvers  were 
ready,  and  all  my  double-barreled  guns  were  loaded  and 
by  me ;  but  nobody  came. 

Rebouka,  my  Commi,  and  the  Ashira  came  back  a 
short  time  afterward.  They  had  left  the  loads  near  a 
stream,  and  Mouitchi  had  remained  behind  watching 
them  with  six  guns  by  his  side.  His  orders  were  to  fire 
on  the  first  Ashira  that  came  from  the  woods.  Our  blood 
was  up,  and  we  were  getting  desperate. 


1 4  8  THE  (JO  UXTM  Y  OF  THE  D  ^yA  HFS. 

The  Asliiras  took  each  another  load,  and  I  repeated 
asrain  to  Rebouka  and  the  Commi  men  to  shoot  them 
down  as  they  wonld  shoot  a  monkey  if  any  should  try 
to  run  away. 

At  last  all  the  baggage  was  safel}^  deposited  on  the 
margin  of  a  little  stream,  where  we  were  to  build  our 
camp. 

The  Ashiras  then  became  really  frightened,  and  began 
to  think  they  should  never  get  back  to  their  country. 
That  night  I  remained  awake  with  my  men,  and  they 
saw  that  they  could  not  escape.  I  had  become  vindic- 
tive, and  they  knew  it.  Mintcho  seized  my  feet,  and 
shouted,  "  Do  not  kill  us ;  let  me  go,  and  keep  the  other 
hostages.  I  will  have  all  the  things  that  have  been  sto- 
len restored  to  you.  I  wdll  make  the  porters  come  back." 
"  No,"  said  I,  "  Mintcho,  there  is  no  going  away  for  you ; 
if  you  move  a  step  you  are  dead ;"  and,  to  frighten  him, 
I  fired  a  gun  at  a  tree,  and  he  saw  tliat  the  bullet  had 
made  a  great  gash  in  the  tree. 

Then  I  ordered  Mintcho  and  an  Ashira,  with  one  of 
my  Commi,  to  go  to  Mayolo  to  get  porters.  At  first  they 
would  not  do  it.  They  were  afraid.  The  game  they 
had  played  had  not  been  quite  as  successful  as  they  had 
expected. 

We  had  no  food  ;  it  rained  every  night,  and  we  could 
find  no  large  leaves  to  shelter  us  from  the  heavy  fall  of 
water.  Oh  dear !  how^  far  off  was  Mayolo  ?  It  was  clear 
that  strong  measures  must  be  taken  immediately. 

There  was  still  with  us  our  Otando  prisoner  whom 
Arangui  had  given  back  to  me.  So  I  said, "  Mouitchi, 
hurry  to  Mayolo  with  that  man,  and  tell  Mayolo  to  send 
men  and  food  at  once,  so  that  we  may  go  to  his  country." 


THE  THIEVES  CAO'EJJ.  140 

Mouitclii  departed  with  the  Otaiido  man,  taking  witli 
liim  a  necklace  of  large  beads  for  Ma^^olo. 

I  was  now  left  with  Mintcho  and  seven  Ashira  rascals, 
and  had  only  two  of  my  faithful  Commi  men  with  me — 
Rebouka  and  Ngoma — to  keep  watch  over  them.  We 
were  encamped  in  a  small  open  space  in  the  loneliest 
and  gloomiest  part  of  the  forest,  by  the  path  leading  to 
the  Otando  country.  We  w^ere  absolutely  without  food. 
Rebouka,  Kgoma,  and  myself  agreed  to  keep  watch  over 
our  eight  Ashiras,  who  were  now  our  prisoners.  Now 
and  then  the  rascals  would  pretend  to  be  asleep,  and 
snored  hard.  The}^  lay  on  one  side  of  the  path,  and  we 
were  on  the  other  side,  with  the  luggage  piled  by  us. 
They  saw  there  was  no  escape,  for  two  of  us  were  al- 
ways wide  awake,  with  all  our  guns  by  our  side  ready  to 
fire  into  the  first  man  who  tried  to  run  away. 

The  Ashiras  felt  that  they  were  caught,  and  began  to 
curse  those  who  had  robbed  me.  Mintcho  was  accused 
by  two  of  them  as  having  been  at  the  bottom  of  the 
whole  plot.  Mintcho  got  angry,  and  swore  that  it  was 
a  lie.     I  knew^  that  they  had  told  the  truth. 

It  was  very  plain  that  something  must  be  done,  or  we 
should  die  of  hunger,  unless  the  Mayolo  men  came  witli 
food.  If  it  had  been  the  season  of  the  koola-nut,  we 
should  have  had  plenty  to  eat.  So  I  determined  to  go 
into  the  bush  in  search  of  food,  and  ordered  an  Ashira 
to  follow  me  to  find  berries  for  his  people.  I  again  in- 
structed Rebouka  and  IN'goma  to  shoot  Mintcho  or  tlie 
Aslnras  if  they  tried  to  escape.  I  was  getting  very  weak ; 
for,  besides  the  want  of  food,  anxiety  had  almost  killed 
me.  I  really  could  hardly  walk  when  I  left  the  camp. 
I  came  back  without  c^ame.     I  had  heard  a  c-orilla,  and 


150  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

if  I  could  have  killed  him  we  should  have  had  plenty  to 
eat,  but  he  ran  away  before  I  came  up  with  him. 

That  evening  I  felt  so  exhausted  that  I  said  to  my 
Commi  boys, "  I  will  rest  a  little.  Keep  watch ;  let  not 
one  of  these  rascals  escape.  Talk  all  the  time ;  tell  sto- 
ries ;  then  I  will  keep  watch  after  I  awake,  and  you  shall 
go  to  sleep." 

There  was  no  sleep  for  me,  and  I  began  to  tliink  I  was 
getting  crazy  for  want  of  food.  I  thought  of  home,  of 
dinners,  of  beef  and  mutton,  and  I  recalled  the  hot  tur- 
key, and  the  fish,  and  the  buckwheat  cakes ;  I  could  re- 
member distinctly  several  dinners  that  had  taken  place 
years  before,  and  I  could  have  named  every  dish  that 
came  on  the  table  in  those  days  of  plenty. 

I  sent  two  Ashiras  with  Rebouka  out  to  hunt,  warning 
them  that  if  they  tried  to  run  away  they  would  be  killed, 
and  that  I  would  put  to  death  every  Ashira  that  re- 
mained in  my  hands.  I  assumed  a  fierce  look,  and  swore 
that  I  would  do  it. 

They  were  more  successful  than  I  had  been.  They 
came  back  with  two  monkeys. 

Mintcho  and  the  Ashiras  put  the  meat  before  me,  and 
insisted  that  I  should  eat  it  all  alone,  saying  that  they 
were  accustomed  to  starving,  and  could  wait.  How 
strange,  I  thought,  these  Ashiras  were  !  They  had  tried 
to  leave  me  in  the  woods ;  they  had  plundered  me,  no 
doubt  thinking  that  I  could  get  other  goods ;  and,  in  de- 
spite of  the  hard  treatment  they  were  now  subjected  to, 
their  hearts  yearned  toward  me  in  Idndness. 

I  said,  "Ashiras,  we  are  all  hungry  together,  and  I  will 
divide  the  meat  in  exactly  equal  portions."  This  as- 
tounded the  Ashiras,  for  with  them  the  chief  had  always 
tlie  lion's  share. 


FEASTING  ON  MONKEYS.  151 

Those  monkeys  made  a  delicious  repast.  How  I  en- 
joyed my  share !  they  were  so  fat  and  so  nice — only  we 
could  have  eaten  ten  monkeys  instead  of  two. 

As  the  Otando  people  appeared,  the  allayed  fears  of 
the  Ashiras  returned ;  they  began  to  believe  that  I  had 
sent  word  by  Mouitchi  for  the  Otandos  to  come  in  great 
force,  and  that  I  was  to  take  them  captive  for  their 
treachery.  Once  more  some  of  them  wanted  to  go 
back.  I  swore  that  they  could  not  go;  that  I  would 
shoot  them  down ;  and  that,  if  any  escaped,  Quengueza 
would  make  war  upon  the  Ashiras,  and  capture  all  those 
who  had  come  to  trade  on  the  banks  of  his  river,  and 
then  would  call  on  all  the  Ashira  people  to  destroy  the 
clan  of  Olenda. 

This  talk  was  hardly  ended  when  I  thought  I  heard 
voices  far  in  the  distance.  "  Hark  !"  said  I  to  my  Com- 
mi,  "  I  hear  voices."  Were  they  the  Otando  people,  or 
were  they  the  Ashiras  coming  back  to  rescue  their  men  ? 
I  immediately  placed  the  Ashiras  in  a  group  together, 
tied  their  hands  behind  their  backs,  and  got  the  guns  in 
readiness,  for  I  was  getting  desperate.  If  the  Ashiras 
dared  to  come,  they  were  to  be  met  with  a  warm  recep- 
tion of  bullets. 

I  was  mistaken  ;  tlie  Otandos  were  coming.  A  gun  is 
fired — up  bounded  Rapelina  to  the  rescue,  followed  by  a 
long  line  of  Otando  men  laden  with  food  sent  by  King 
Mayolo.  A  wild  hurra  from  every  body,  including  the 
Ashiras,  welcomed  the  party.  That  night  we  rested  and 
feasted  in  order  to  be  strong  for  the  journey.  I  slept 
well,  and  it  was  the  first  good  rest  I  had  had  for  a  long 
time.  The  next  morning  I  awoke  very  much  refreshed, 
and  at  sunrise  the  horns  of  the  Otandos  blew  the  signal 

G  2 


152  THE  CO  UXTR  T  OF  THE  D WARES. 

for  our  departure.  It  had  been  raining  hard  during  the 
night,  and  the  rain-drops  on  the  leaves  of  the  trees  glit- 
tered in  the  early  sunlight.  We  marched  off  at  great 
speed,  for  I  was  determined  not  to  sleep  another  night  in 
the  forest.  On  the  tramp  we  crossed  a  river  called  the 
Oo:auo;a,  on  the  banks  of  which  the  koola-trees  were 
growing  luxuriantly.  Nuts  in  abundance  were  lying  on 
the  ground,  and  the  men  fed  on  them,  after  which  we 
continued  our  journey.  I  remember  well  it  was  the  10th 
of  March,  in  the  evening,  just  at  sunset,  that  we  emerged 
from  the  solitude  of  the  forest  into  the  Otando  prairie, 
so  called  because  the  Otandos  lived  on  it.  Never  shall 
I  forget  how  glad  I  felt  when  I  came  on  the  margin  of 
the  forest,  and  saw  the  blue  sky  appearing  through  the 
breaks  in  the  tree-tops. 


CHAPTER  XY. 


IN    THE    OPEN    COUNTRY   AT   LAST. INTERVIEW    WITH    MAY- 

OLO. IGALA    FALLS     SICK. A    MUTINY. THE     OTANDO 

PRAIRIE   ON  FIRE. RETURN   OF  MACONDAI  AND   IGALO. 

THEIR    ADVENTURES. zVLL    TOGETHER    AGAIN. 

A  STRETCH  of  open  undulating  country  was  before  me. 
Guns  were  fired  by  my  men,  and  soon  after  I  entered  the 
first  Otando  village.  It  was  the  village  of  Mayolo,  who 
was  the  only  chief  that  was  willing  to  receive  me.  We 
went  right  to  the  ouandja,  and  I  seated  myself  in  the 
centre  of  the  building.  Soon  after,  the  beating  of  the 
kendo  was  heard ;  Mayolo,  the  chief,  his  body  streaked 
with  alumbi  chalk,  was  comino^,  mutterino-  mysterious 
words  as  he  advanced  toward  me.  ^Ylien  he  came  near- 
er, he  shouted,  "  Here  is  the  great  Spirit,  with  his  untold 
wealth."  The  language  of  the  Otando  people  was  the 
same  as  that  of  the  Ashiras,  so  I  had  no  difiicultj^  in  un- 
derstanding him.  He  looked  at  me  with  perfect  aston- 
isliment  for  a  while,  and  then  told  me  tlie  trouble  he  had 
with  his  people  on  my  account,  since  they  did  not  want 
me  to  come  into  tlie  country;  "for,"  said  they, "he  brings 
the  plague  and  death  wherever  he  goes."  "  I  told  them 
that  the  plague  had  killed  our  people  before  we  ever 
heard  of  you,  and  that  the  plague  was  in  our  country  be- 
fore it  went  to  the  Ashira  Land  to  kill  the  people  there." 

"That  was  right,"  said  I;  "Mayolo,!  love  you ;  T  kill 


154  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWAMFS. 

110  people — I  send  no  plague.  I  will  be  your  fi-iend,  and 
the  friend  of  your  people." 

As  Mayolo  was  talking  to  me,  I  took  a  good  look  at 
him.  lie  was  tall,  broad-shouldered,  and  almost  yellow 
in  color ;  his  eyes  were  small  and  piercing.  When  young 
he  had  gone  toward  the  sea,  and  in  his  trading  had  suc- 
ceeded in  buying  a  gun,  and,  not  knowing  how  to  load  it, 
it  had  burst  and  taken  off  three  of  his  fingers  while  firing 
at  an  elephant. 

After  Mayolo  had  retired,  a  large  goat  and  two  enor- 
mous bunches  of  plantains  were  brought  before  me.  I 
wish  you  could  have  seen  the  faces  of  my  Commi  men, 
the  prospect  of  a  good  meal  made  them  grin  so  compla- 
cently. 

Immediately  after  Mayolo  had  taken  leave  of  me  I 
went  to  see  Igala.  Poor  Igala  was  very  sick :  the  plague 
had  seized  him ;  his  body  seemed  a  mass  of  putrid  flesh. 
How  glad  he  was  to  see  me  !  I  do  believe  he  would  have 
died  if  I  had  not  come  to  take  care  of  him.  There  lie 
lay  in  a  large  hut,  with  all  my  goods  around  him.  I  went 
to  him,  took  hold  of  both  his  Jiands,  and  looked  him  in 
the  face.  He  said, "  Chally,  are  you  not  afraid  to  get  the 
plague  by  taking  my  hands  ?"  "  No,"  said  I ;  "  Igala,  I 
will  take  care  of  you  as  if  you  were  my  brother."  Im- 
mediately I  warmed  some  water  in  a  kettle,  and  then 
washed  him  delicately,  and  he  felt  more  comfortable. 

Poor  Igala !  lie  was  my  right  arm,  my  fighting  man. 
I  depended  upon  him. 

The  next  morning,  opening  my  packages  and  boxes,  I 
saw  the  sad  havoc  the  Ashira  thieves  had  made  with  my 
goods.  They  had  stolen  a  great  deal,  but,  strange  to  say, 
they  had  left  a  certain  quantity  in  each  parcel. 


CAPTURE  OF  A  THIEF.  I55 

I  folt  furious  at  the  discovery.  Oh,  how  sorry  I  was 
that  Igalo  and  Macondai  had  remained  behind ;  for,  if 
they  had  not,  the  Ashiras  would  never  have  gone  back  to 
their  own  country :  I  would  have  made  porters  of  them. 

I  boldly  accused  Mintcho  of  the  robbery,  and  seized 
the  gun  he  had.  The  hypocritical  rascal  pretended  to  be 
in  a  rage  at  the  discovery  I  had  made ;  he  foamed  at  the 
mouth,  and  exclaimed, "  Let  me  go  back,  Chally  ;  I  will 
find  the  robbers,  and  kill  them  if  they  do  not  give  up  ev- 
ery thing  you  have  lost." 

Just  at  this  time  his  brother  Ayagui  came,  with  a  gun 
which  Rebouka  had  foolishly  lent  him.  I  ordered  him 
to  give  up  the  gun ;  he  was  unwilling,  and  threatened  to 
shoot  the  first  man  who  approached  him.  When  I  heard 
this,  I  ordered  my  four  Commi  men  to  level  their  guns  at 
him  and  shoot  him  dead  if  in  an  instant  he  did  not  lay 
it  on  the  ground.     The  gun  was  handed  to  Mayolo. 

The  Ashiras  thought  the  end  of  Ayagui  had  come,  and 
fled  in  the  direction  of  the  forest.  We  pursued  them, 
and  captured  one,  whom  I  resolved  to  retain  as  a  hostage 
for  the  restitution  of  my  property ;  but  it  so  happened 
that  the  captive  was  the  son  of  Adingo,  an  Ashira  chief 
who  was  a  good  friend  of  mine.  The  guilty  Ashiras 
were  terribly  frightened,  and  I  shouted, "  Bring  the  things 
back,  and  the  boy  shall  be  returned." 

Mintcho,  in  his  flight,  passed  near  Igala,  who  could 
have  seized  him,  but,  as  his  shelter  was  a  little  way  off, 
Igala  did  not  suspect  his  intentions,  and  let  him  escape, 
thinking  that  he  was  only  going  into  the  woods. 

The  Otando  people  had  seen  by  our  prompt  action  of 
what  stuff  we  were  made.  I  regretted  the  necessity  for 
such  measures,  but  it  was  the  first  time  since  I  began  my 


]  5  6  THE  CO  UNTR  Y  OF  THE  D  WARES. 

travels  that  the  natives  had  dared  to  rob  me  on  the  road, 
and  the  news  would  spread.  All  this  was  Rogueri's  do- 
ings. 

In  the  mean  time,Ilebouka  had  secured  our  little  pris- 
oner so  tightly  with  ropes  that  he  fairly  moaned  with 
pain.  As  I  came  up  to  him,  he  said, "  Chally,  you  are 
my  father's  great  friend.  I  am  but  a  child ;  I  can  not 
run  away.  The  xlshiras  will  come  back  with  all  your 
stolen  goods.  I  am  your  boy;  I  did  not  leave  you  in 
the  woods,  but  followed  you  here.  Do  loosen  the  cords 
which  hurt  me  so  much."  I  ordered  Rebouka  to  slacken 
the  cords,  which  he  did ;  but  he  remonstrated  firmly,  say- 
ing that  I  was  too  kind ;  that  I  did  not  know  negroes ;  that 
negroes  were  not  children  at  that  age.  "Do  you  think," 
said  he,  "  that  a  child  could  have  come  from  the  Ashira 
country  here  with  the  load  this  boy  has  carried  ?"  We 
then  secured  him  under  the  veranda  of  my  hut,  and  I  set 
a  watch  over  him  during  the  night.  Mayolo  recommend- 
ed me  to  keep  a  good  lookout  on  the  boy, "  for,"  said  he, 
"  the  goods  are  sure  to  come  back."  Adingo  was  a  pow- 
erful chief,  and,  as  soon  as  he  should  hear  of  the  cause 
of  his  son's  captivity,  he  would  threaten  war,  and,  in  or- 
der to  secure  peace,  every  thing  would  have  to  be  re- 
turned. 

The  moon  was  full,  and  it  was  quite  light,  so  that  ev- 
ery thing  around  could  be  easily  seen. 

Rebouka  was  right ;  I  had  loosened  the  cords  too  much, 
and  the  cunning  little  fellow  escaped  during  that  first 
night.  I  felt  sorry,  for  I  knew  now  that  nothing  that 
had  been  stolen  would  ever  come  back,  especially  witli 
Macondai  and  Igalo  in  the  hands  of  the  Ashiras ;  but, 
after  all,  I  did  not  feel  so  badly  as  if  some  others  of  the 


PRAIRIE  ON  FIRE.  \  5  7 

Asliiras  had  run  away.  If  I  had  only  secured  Mintcho, 
I  assure  you  he  would  never  have  run  away.  Happily 
I  had  a  great  many  goods  left,  and  all  the  scientific  in- 
struments necessary  to  make  astronomical  observations. 

The  next  morning  Mayolo,  being  the  head  man  of  his 
clan,  ordered  the  chiefs  of  the  different  villages  of  the 
clan  to  come  to  see  me.  They  came,  and  a  grand  recep- 
tion took  place.  Mayolo  made  a  great  speech.  I  gave 
presents  to  the  men  who  had  come  to  fetch  me  out  of 
the  woods,  and  to  all  the  leading  men  and  women.  Then 
Mayolo  shouted,  pointing  to  the  goods, "  This  is  the  plague 
the  Spirit  brings." 

We  had  hardly  been  four  days  in  Otando  Land  when 
Mayolo  fell  ill.  How  sorry  I  felt !  Fear  seized  upon  his 
people.  Surely  I  was  an  evil  spirit.  Olenda  had  died ; 
I  had  killed  him,  and  now  I  wanted  to  kill  Mayolo. 
Night  after  niglit  I  was  kept  awake  w^ith  anxiety,  for 
Mayolo  was  very  unwell.  I  found  that  he  had  a  disease 
of  the  heart ;  his  sufferings  were  intense  at  times,  and  his 
meanings  filled  me  w^ith  distress.  Surely  if  Mayolo  was 
to.  die  I  could  not  advance  a  step  farther  inland. 

A  few  days  after  my  arrival  I  had  an  uncomfortable 
fright;  the  Otando  prairie  became  a  sheet  of  fire,  and 
threatened  the  destruction  of  the  village  of  Mayolo. 
Should  the  fire  get  into  the  village,  I  said  to  myself, 
what  a  terrible  explosion  would  take  place  !  So  I  imme- 
diately called  the  men  and  moved  the  powder  into  the 
woods.  Happily,  the  natives  prevented  the  fire  from 
reachinc;  the  villao:e. 

Time  went  on  slowly,  and  one  day,  about  noon,  as  I 
was  wonderino;  when  lo-alo  and  Macondai  would  come 
l^ack  to  us,  I  heard  guns  fired  in  the  forest.     My  Commi 


158  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

men  at  that  time  were  round  me.  Perhaps  the  Ashi- 
ras  were  coming  back  with  their  phmder !  We  looked 
toward  the  path  which  led  into  the  forest,  when  lo !  what 
should  we  see  but  Macondai,  my  boy,  and  Igalo.  They 
were  safe.  A  wild  cheer  welcomed  them,  and  they  went 
directly  to  the  olako  or  hospital,  where  Igala  and  Rebou- 
ka  were  confined  with  confluent  small-pox,  for,  since  my 
return  Eebouka  had  been  seized  with  the  malady.  Iga- 
lo left  Macondai  with  them,  and  continued  his  way  to 
our  village,  to  give  me  mbolo,  "good-morning  salutation." 
The  Otando  people  seemed  almost  as  delighted  as  our- 
selves. We  were  again  all  together.  I  had  now  learned 
wisdom,  and  promised  myself  never  to  di-^ide-our^arty 
again,  happen  what  might.  After  I  had  h^ai'd^tte'^news 
from  Igalo,  I  went  to  the  camp,  and  there  I  looked  at 
my  boy  Macondai,  and  took  his  hand  into,  mine.  ■  What 
a  sight !  Poor  Macondai  was  more  frightfully  disfigured 
than  I  could  possibly  have  imagined,  or  than  I  can  de- 
scribe, and  I  shuddered  as  I  gazed  upon  him.  A  chill 
ran  through  me  as  I  thought  he  might  not  yet  recover, 
but  I  felt  so  thankful  that  I  had  all  the  medicines  neces- 
sary for  his  proper  treatment. 

"  Macondai,  my  boy,"  I  said, "  you  do  not  know  how 
glad  I  am  to  see  you.  You  do  not  know  how  often  I 
have  thought  of  you ;  indeed,  several  times  I  wanted  to 
go  back  for  you." 

I  seated  myself  on  a  lo^.,  of  wood,  and  all  was  silence 
for  a  little  while.  Then  Macondai  spoke  and  said, "  Chal- 
ly,  I  have  been  very  ill ;  I  thought  I  would  die."  The 
boy's  throat  was  too  full ;  he  could  say  no  more.  Then 
Igalo,  his  companion,  became  the  spokesman,  and  I  give 
you  the  whole  of  his  speech  just  as  it  was  written  out 


IQALO'S  ISTORY.  161 

by  me  at  the  time.  "  Clially,  after  you  left  us  we  went 
to  an  olako  in  a  plantation  close  by,  where  we  slept. 
Ondonga  took  us  there,  saying  that  the  head  man  was 
his  ogoi  (relation),  and  that  he  would  take  care  of  us. 
Then  he  said  he  was  going  to  Ademba  (Olenda  village), 
to  see  how  things  were  getting  along  in  the  village,  and 
that  he  would  return  in  two  days.  He  borrowed  from 
us  our  cutlass,  saying  that  he  would  return  it  when  he 
came  back.  This  was  the  last  we  saw  of  him.  Then 
the  next  day  the  chief  came  and  said  he  wanted  his  pay 
for  keeping  us,  as  we  staid  in  his  olako.  Finally  he 
agreed  that  he  would  w^ait  till  Macondai  could  get  well. 
"  Four  days  after  you  had  gone,  some  of  the  boys  who 
had  accompanied  you  returned.  We  knew  that  they 
could  not  have  gone  to  the-Otando  country  and  got  back 
in  so  short  a  time,  and,  being  well  aware  themselves  that 
we  knew  it,  they  said  at  once, '  We  have  left  Clially  with 
Mintcho  and  the  other  people  one  day's  journey  from 
the  Otando  country,  for  we  have  had  palavers  with  the 
Otando  people,  and  we  were  afraid  to  proceed  farther 
for  fear  that  the  Otando  people  would  seize  us ;'  and  they 
also  went  away.  Some  time  afterward  Ayagui  and 
Etombi  made  their  appearance.  They  said  they  had  left 
you  well,  but  that  you  said  you  would  not  pay  them  un- 
til Macondai  had  come  to  the  Otando ;  and  they  added, 
^  Make  haste,  Macondai,  and  cure  yourself,  so  that  we 
may  go.  If  you  were  well  now,  I  w^ould  say  we  must  go 
in  two  days ;  that  would  just  give  us  time  to  rest  and  get 
food  for  the  journey.'  Then,  as  they  were  leaving,  they 
said  they  would  come  back  in  two  days.  This  was  the 
last  we  saw  of  them.  Then  the  chief  wanted  us  to  move 
off.    Macondai  said  he  was  so  ill  that  he  cor.ld  not  move  ; 


162  THE  CO  UNTR  Y  OF  THE  D  WARES. 

'  I  would  rather  die  where  I  am.'  I  did  not  want,"  said 
Igalo, "  to  go  back  to  the  plantation  or  to  the  village.  I 
had  had  enough  of  Olenda's  village.  Then  the  chief 
took  another  tack.  ^What  shall  I  do?'  said  he.  'On- 
donga,  who  brought  you  to  me,  has  not  again  shown 
himself  here;  he  has  deserted  you.'  And  he  added, 
'  These  people  have  come  back.  Chally  has  seized  two 
gangs  of  slaves  because  the  Ashira  stole  some  of  his 
things,  and  Mintcho  has  come  to  see  if  he  can  get  the 
things  back,  for  one  of  the  gangs  seized  belongs  to  him, 
and  the  other  to  On  donga.'  The  chief  left  us  after  say- 
ing this,  telling  ns  that  he  was  going  to  see  a  friend,  and 
would  come  back  in  the  evening,  and  we  never  saw  him 
again.  Three  days  afterward  two  old  men  and  three 
young  lads  came ;  they  slept  near  us,  and  said, '  Igalo, 
you  must  not  stop  washing  Macondai's  body ;  we  see  that 
you  wash  only  his  leg.'  By  seeing  me  taking  great  care 
of  Macondai's  leg  they  thought  we  probably  intended  to 
leave,  which  we  wanted  to  do  as  soon  as  Macondai  was 
well  enough  to  walk.  Then  they  added,  '  Go  to  the 
spring,  and  fetch  plenty  of  water,  and  wash  Macondai 
well,  for  this  disease  requires  it.'  Then,"  said  Igalo,  "  I 
went  to  the  spring,  and  during  the  time  I  was  gone  they 
plundered  us  of  our  things,  seized  the  gun  I  had  left  be- 
hind, and  Macondai's  double-barreled  gun,  a  box  contain- 
ing beads  and  our  clothes,  and  escaped  to  the  woods,  and 
when  I  came  back  with  the  water  I  learned  our  misfor- 
tune. They  had  come  to  the  plantation  under  the  pre- 
text of  getting  plantains. 

"  When  I  saw  how  things  stood — that  we  had  not  a  gun 
with  which  to  defend  ourselves — mistrusting  the  Ashi- 
ras,  I  thought  best  to  leave  the  place,  and  said  to  Macon- 


THOUGHTS  OF  VENGEANCE.  163 

dai, '  Let  us  go.'  Rebouka  had  told  ns  the  road  before 
you  left  for  the  Otaiulo,  so  we  loaded  ourselves  with 
plantains  which  we  got  in  the  plantations,  and  left  at 
once,  with  tlie  utmost  speed,  the  deserted  olako,  and  we 
have  been  four  nights  and  four  days  on  the  road." 

"  Well  done  !"  we  shouted  with  one  voice ;  "  well  done, 
boys !    Macon  dai  and  Igalo,  you  are  men !  you  are  men !" 

"  Then,"  added  Igalo,  "  I  forgot  to  tell  you  that  the 
man  of  the  olako  had  told  us  that  Mintcho  and  Ondon- 
ga  liad  made  a  plot  for  a  general  robbery,  but  that  you 
watched  them  so  closely  that  they  could  not  accomplish 
it." 

I  was  so  angry  that  I  felt  very  much  like  going  to  the 
Ashira  country,  all  of  us  armed  to  the  teeth,  when  my 
followers  should  liave  quite  regained  their  health  and 
strength,  and  carrying  fire  and  sword  through  all  the  vil- 
lages that  belonged  to  the  clan  of  Olenda,  and  raising 
the  whole  country  against  them.  I  knew  I  could  have 
done  this  easily,  but  then  I  had  not  come  to  make  war. 

After  hearing  the  pitiful  story  of  Macondai  and  Igalo 
I  went  back  to  the  village,  and  heated  some  water  in  one 
of  my  huge  kettles ;  then,  returning  to  the  camp,  I  gave 
poor  Macondai  a  tepid  bath  with  a  sponge,  and  ordered 
some  chicken  soup  to  be  prepared  for  the  sufferer. 

How  poor  Macondai  enjoyed  his  soup !  It  did  me 
good  to  see  him  lap  it  up.  I  had  forbidden  him  to  eat 
any  thing  without  my  permission,  telling  him  that  I 
should  feed  him  well,  so  that  he  miglit  get  strong,  but 
that  it  would  be  some  few  days  before  I  could  let  him 
eat  to  his  heart's  content,  for  he  had  been  starved  so  long 
that  I  was  afraid  he  would  get  ill  if  he  was  permitted  to 
indulge  his  appetite  to  repletion. 


164 


THE  COUNTBY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 


Tliougli  filled  with  anxiety  about  Macondai,  I  slept 
well  that  night.  We  were  all  together  again ;  it  was  so 
nice,  for  getting  all  our  party  together  again  gave  me  a 
lively  satisfaction. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


TEEEIBLE     STOEMS     OF     THrNDEK. DAYS     OF    ANXIETY. 

SHOOTING    AN   ANTELOPE. BRIGHTER    PROSPECTS. MAY- 

OLO     HAS    A    HARD    TIME    WITH     HIS    DOCTORS. BASKET- 
MAKING. 

How  Strange  the  Otando  prairie  looks  since  the  fire 
has  burnt  the  grass !  Tens  of  thousands  of  gigantic 
mushroom-hke  ant-hills  are  seen  every  where.  I  had 
never  met  such  a  great  number  before.  I  have  given 
you  a  picture  of  these  queer  ant-hills  in  my  "Apingi 
Kingdom." 

We  are  in  the  season  of  tornadoes,  of  thunder  and 
lightning.  Hardly  a  day  passes  that  some  terrible  storm 
does  not  burst  upon  us  ;  and  such  thunder — how  terrific ! 
"We  have  not  the  slightest  idea  at  home  of  what  thunder 
is.  Among  the  mountains  here  it  is  perfectly  appalling 
and  terrific.  It  is  grand  and  sublime,  and  fills  one  with 
awe.  The  whole  of  the  heavens  at  times  seems  entirely 
illuminated  by  the  lightning ;  and  I  find  that  it  rains  quite 
often  during  the  day.  The  heaviest  tornadoes  in  these 
regions  seem  to  occur  in  the  month  of  April. 

Days  pass  in  the  Otando  country  which  are  full  of 
anxiety  for  me.  Mayolo  is  sick,  and  some  of  my  Commi 
men  are  down  with  the  plague.  Oh  dear,  how  the  time 
is  going !  How  far  the  head  waters  of  the  Nile  are ! 
What  a  tremendous  journey  ahead !     How  many  days 


166  THE  CO  UNTR  Y  OF  THE  D  WARES. 

of  hunger  do  I  see  looming  before  me ;  how  many  days 
of  sickness  and  of  anxious  care  !  But  my  heart  is  strong. 
God  has  been  kind  to  me.  The  plague  has  spared  me ; 
it  has  been  around  me ;  it  has  lived  with  me,  and  in  my 
own  dwelling ;  and  I  stand  safe  amid  the  desolation  that 
it  has  spread  over  the  country.  I  am  surrounded  here 
by  savage  men.  May  I  live  uprightly,  so  that,  after  I 
have  left,  the  people  may  think  well  of  me ! 

But  when  am  I  ever  to  leave  this  Otando  country? 
Just  as  I  am  wondering  over  this,  and  thinking  of  the 
principal  events  that  have  taken  place  since  I  left  the 
sea-shore,  my  revery  is  broken  by  the  barking  of  my 
dogs  in  the  prairie.  I  look,  and  what  do  I  see  ?  A  beau- 
tiful antelope  closely  pursued  by  my  six  dogs.  An- 
deko,  and  Commi-l^agoumba,  and  Eover  cling  to  the 
neck  of  the  antelope,  with  their  teeth  in  the  flesh,  while 
Turk, Fierce,  and  l^dj^go  are  barking  and  biting  the  poor 
creature  wherever  they  can.  I  run  with  the  villagers  in 
chase.  Soon  I  am  on  the  spot,  and,  aiming  carefully  at 
the  beast,  I  bring  it  down  with  a  single  shot.  It  is  a 
very  fine  hart.  There  is  great  joy  in  the  village,  and  I 
divide  the  meat  among  the  Aallagers,  giving  a  big  piece 
to  friend  Mayolo,  who  is  delighted,  for  he  says  he  is  very 
fond  of  antelope's  meat. 

By  the  end  of  April  things  began  to  look  bright. 
Mayolo  was  getting  well ;  Macondai  was  improving  very 
fast,  and  Igala  and  Eebouka  w^ere  almost  recovered.  But, 
as  soon  as  Mayolo  got  better,  he  was  more  afraid  than 
ever  of  witchcraft,  and  he  and  his  people  had  a  great 
time  in  "  pona  oganga."  Pona  oganga  is  a  strange  cere- 
mony, which  I  am  about  to  describe  to  you.  It  was  per- 
formed because  Mayolo  wanted  to  know  who  were  the 


THE  DOCTOR. 


169 


people  who  had  bewitched  his  place,  and  made  the  plague 
come  among  his  people. 

A  great  doctor  had  been  sent  for,  and,  after  his  arrival, 
he  went  into  a  hut,  carrying  with  him  a  large  bag.  Soon 
afterward  he  came  out,  looking  horribly.  He  was  dressed 
in  a  most  fantastic  manner :  his  body  was  painted  with 
ochre  of  three  diiferent  colors — red,  white,  and  black ;  he 
wore  a  necklace  formed  of  bones,  the  teeth  of  animals, 
and  seeds ;  around  his  waist  w^as  a  belt  of  leather,  from 
which  dangled  the  feathers  of  the  ogoloungoo ;  and  his 
head-dress  was  made  of  a  monkey's  skin.  As  he  came 
out  he  spoke  in  an  unnatural  and  hollow  voice,  then 
filled  a  large  basin  with  water,  looked  intently  into  it, 
and  shook  his  head  gravely,  as  if  the  signs  were  bad. 
Then  he  lighted  a  big  torch,  and  looked  steadily  at  the 
flame,  as  if  trying  to  discover  something,  moved  the  torch 
over  the  water,  shook  his  body  terribly,  smoked  a  condo- 
quai,  made  a  number  of  contortions  and  gestures,  and 
again  spoke  in  a  loud  tone,  repeating  the  same  words 
over  and  over.  The  people,  in  the  mean  time,  were  si- 
lent, and  looked  at  the  great  man  attentively.  Then  he 
gazed  steadily  into  the  water  again,  and  said,  while  the 
people  listened  in  breathless  silence,  "  There  are  people 
in  your  own  village  who  want  to  bewitch  it,  and  bring 
the  plague  and  kill  people."  Immediately  a  great  com- 
motion took  place.  The  crowd  shouted, "  Death  to  the 
sorcerers !"  and  rose  up  and  swore  vengeance.  "  The 
mboundou  must  be  drunk !"  cried  Mayolo  ;  "  we  want  no 
wizards  or  witches  among  us."  The  paths  leading  to 
the  villao-e  were  closed.  Xo  strangers  were  to  be  ad- 
mitted. 

The  next  morning  the  village  was  empty ;  the  people 


1 70  TRU  CO  UNTE  T  OF  THE  D  WAEFS. 

bad  all  gone  into  the  woods.  I  could  hear  their  voices ; 
they  had  gone  to  make  some  of  their  number  di'ink  the 
mboundou. 

Poor  Mayolo  really  had  a  hard  time  with  his  different 
doctors.  He  was  continually  changing  them,  and  they 
came  from  all  the  adjacent  villages.  At  last  he  gave  up 
the  men  doctors,  and  had  a  celebrated  female  doctor,  an 
old,  wrinkled  woman,  who  had  gained  a  great  reputation. 
The  visit  of  a  physician  among  these  people  is  very  un- 
like that  of  a  physician  at  home.  This  female  doctor 
was  a  very  singular  person.  She  appeared  to  be  about 
sixty  years  of  age,  and  was  short,  and  tattooed  all  over. 
When  she  came  to  make  her  visit  she  was  dressed  for  the 
occasion.  Her  body  was  painted,  and  she  carried  a  box 
filled  with  charms.  Wlien  Mayolo  expected  her  he  was 
alwaj^s  ready,  seated  on  a  mat,  and  with  a  genetta-skin 
by  him.  The  female  doctor  would  come  in  muttering 
words  which  nobody  could  understand ;  then  she  would 
rub  Mayolo's  body  with  her  hand,  and  mark  his  forehead 
with  the  chalk  of  the  alumbi ;  then  she  made  a  broad 
mark  with  the  challv  on  his  chest,  and  drew  stripes  the 
whole  length  of  his  arms,  muttering  unintelligibly  all  the 
time;  she  then  chewed  the  leaves  of  some  medicinal 
plant,  and  spat  the  juice  over  Mayolo's  body,  especially 
on  the  affected  part,  near  the  heart,  still  muttering  mag- 
ical words.  Afterward  she  lighted  a  bunch  of  a  peculiar 
kind  of  grass,  and  as  it  burned,  made  the  flames  almost 
touch  the  body  of  poor  Mayolo.  Two  or  tliree  times  it 
seemed  as  if  the  fire  was  burning  him.  She  began  the 
fire-ceremony  at  the  sole  of  his  foot,  graduallj^  ascending 
to  the  head,  and,  when  the  flames  ceased,  she  made  the 
smouldering  fire  touch  his  person. 


PORTER ' S  BASKET. 


171 


When  I  asked  her  \vhy  she  used  fire,  she  said  that  it 
was  to  prevent  disease  from  coming  into  Mayolo's  body 
from  the  outside. 

All  this  time  the  Otando  people  were  busy  making 
otaitaia^  or  porters'  baskets.  The  otaitai  is  a  very  ingen- 
ious contrivance  for  carrying  loads  in  safety  on  the  backs 
of  men.     1  have  brought  one  of  these  baskets  home,  and 


OTAITAI,  OK  rOKTEBB  BASKET. 


172  THE  CO  UNTB  Y  OF  THE  D  WARFH. 

preserve  it  as  a  keepsake.  It  is  long  and  narrow;  the 
wicker-work  is  made  of  strips  of  a  very  tough  chmbing 
plant ;  the  length  is  about  two  and  a  half  feet,  and  the 
width  nine  inches ;  the  sides  are  made  of  open  cane- work, 
capable  of  being  expanded  or  drawn  in,  so  as  to  admit  of 
a  larger  or  smaller  load.  Cords  of  bast  are  attached  to 
the  sides,  for  the  purpose  of  securing  the  contents.  Straps 
made  of  strong  plaited  rushes  secure  the  basket  to  the 
head  and  arms  of  the  carrier,  as  shown  in  the  preceding 
picture. 


CHAPTER  XYII. 

DEPAETUEE     FROM     THE     OTANDO     COUNTRY. TALK     WITH 

MATOLO. LIVING     ON    MONKEY -MEAT. ASTRONO:\nCAL 

STUDIES. — LUNAR    OBSERVATIONS. INTENSE   HEAT. 

The  day  of  my  departure  from  the  Otando  country 
was  approaching.  Mayolo  was  getting  better  and  bet- 
ter every  day.  So,  two  days  after  the  ceremony  I  have 
described  m  the  preceding  chapter,  I  summoned  May- 
olo and  his  people,  and  received  them  in  state.  I  was 
dressed  for  the  occasion,  as  if  ready  to  start,  with  my 
otaitai  on  my  back.  I  was  surrounded  by  my  body- 
guard, and  they  also  were  ready  for  the  start,  each  man 
carrying  his  otaitai.  I  spoke  to  the  people  in  simili- 
tudes, in  the  African  fashion : 

"  Mayolo,  I  have  called  you  and  your  people,  that  you 
may  have  my  mouth.  You  black  people  have  a  saying 
among  yourselves  that  a  man  does  not  stand  alone — that 
he  has  friends.  You  Otando  people  have  friends  among 
the  Apono  and  Ishogo  people."  "We  will  take  you 
there !"  shouted  the  Otandos.  "  I  come  to  ask  you  the 
road  through  the  Apona  country.  Come  and  show  me 
the  road.  It  is  the  one  I  like  best ;  it  is  the  shortest.  I 
will  make  your  heart  glad  if  you  make  my  heart  glad. 
I  have  nice  things  to  give  you  all,  and  I  want  the  news 
to  spread  that  Mayolo  and  I  are  two  great  friends,  so 


174  THE  COUXTMY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

that  after  I  am  gone  people  may  say,  ^  Mayolo  was  the 
friend  of  the  Ognizi.'  "  The  last  part  of  the  speech  was 
received  with  tremendous  shouts  of  applause,  and  cries 
of  "  Eovano  !  Eovano !" 

Mayolo  deferred  his  answer  till  the  next  dayo  I  sup- 
pose he  wanted  to  prepare  himself  for  a  great  speech. 
The  following  morning  he  came  before  my  hut,  surround- 
ed by  his  people.     Mayolo  began  : 

"  When  a  hunter  goes  into  the  forest  in  search  of 
game,  he  is  not  glad  until  he  returns  home  with  meat ; 
so  Chally's  heart  will  not  be  glad  until  he  finishes  what 
he  wishes  to  do."  Then  he  continued  to  speak  for  more 
than  an  hour,  and  ended  by  saying, "  Chally,  we  shall 
soon  be  on  the  lo7ig  road^  and  go  toward  where  the  sun 
rises." 

As  soon  as  the  recovery  of  Mayolo  seemed  certain,  the 
people  prepared  to  celebrate  the  event.  Jar  after  jar  of 
native  beer  came  in,  and  in  the  evening  the  people  of 
the  village  had  a  grand  time.  Mayolo  was  the  most  up- 
roarious of  all,  dancing,  slapping  his  chest,  and  shouting, 
"  Here  I  am,  alive !  The  Otando  people  said  I  should 
die  because  the  Spirit  had  come,  but  here  I  am  !  Here 
I  am,  Chally,  well  at  last !  I  tell  you  1  am  well,  Oguizi !" 
and,  to  show  me  that  he  was  well, he  began  to  leap  about, 
and  to  strike  the  ground  with  his  feet,  saying, "  Don't 
you  see  I  am  well  ?  The  Otando  people  said,  the  Apono 
said,  as  soon  as  they  heard  you  had  arrived  in  my  village, 
'  Mayolo  is  a  dead  man  !'  As  soon  as  I  fell  ill,  they  said, 
' Mayolo  will  ne^er  get  up  again !  Has  not  the  Oguizi 
killed  Kemandji  and  Olenda  V  But  here  1  am,  alive  and 
well !  Fire  guns,  that  the  people  of  the  villages  around 
may  know  that  Mayolo  is  well !"     As  he  went,  he  shout- 


ASTONISIILYO  THE  NATIVES.  175 

ed, "  I  knew  that  the  Oguizi  did  not  like  to  see  nie  ill. 
I  am  Mayolo  !     I  will  take  him  farther  on  !" 

I  never  knew  how  good  Mayolo  was  till  I  saw  him  in 
better  health.  He  had  a  good,  kind  heart,  though  he  was 
a  savage,  and  we  had  nice  talks  together.  He  asked  me 
all  sorts  of  questions.  When  I  told  him  that  in  my  conn- 
try  we  had  more  cattle  than  he,  bat  that  they  remained 
on  our  plantations,  just  as  his  goats  did,  he  seemed  in- 
credulous. Then  I  told  him  that  as  1  went  inland  I 
would  meet  tribes  of  blacks  who  kept  tame  cattle.  He 
said  he  had  never  heard  of  such  people ;  he  could  not 
believe  what  I  said.  But  when  1  told  him  that  there 
were  countries  where  elephants  were  tamed,  and  that 
the  people  i-ode  on  their  backs,  the  astonishment  of  May- 
olo and  of  his  people  became  great.  Then  1  showed 
him  an  illustrated  paper.  "  Oh !  oh  !  oh  !"  they  shouted. 
In  the  evening  Mayolo  presented  me  with  a  splendid  fat 
monkey. 

I  should  tell  you  that  all  this  time  I  had  really  splen- 
did food.  The  monkeys  were  delicious,  and  so  plentiful 
in  the  woods  near  Mayolo's  village  that  we  could  have 
them  wherever  we  pleased.  It  was  in  the  season  when 
they  were  fat.  The  nchogai,  the  nkago,  the  miengai, 
and  the  ndova  were  also  abundant,  and  we  enjoyed  eat- 
ing them,  for  those  creatures  seemed,  in  the  months  of 
April  and  May,  to  be  nothing  but  balls  of  fat.  It  was 
the  time  of  the  year,  too,  when  the  forest  trees  bore  most 
fruit,  berries,  and  nuts.  The  miengai  and  the  ndova 
were  the  species  of  animals  \a  hicli  I  preferred  for  food. 
I  defy  any  one  to  find  nicer  venison  in  any  part  of  the 
world.  A  haunch  o-riHed  on  a  bn'o-ht  charcoal  fire  was 
simply  delicious.     '^  Horrible !"  you  will  say ;  "  the  idea 

H  2 


1  7  6  THE  CO  UNTR  Y  OF  THE  B  WARES. 

of  eating  inonkejs!  It  is  perfectly  dreadful!"  and  at 
the  same  time  I  am  snie  you  will  make  a  face  so  ugly 
that  it  would  frighten  you  if  you  were  to  look  at  your- 
self in  the  glass.  You  may  say,  "  Oh,  a  roast  monkey 
must  look  so  much  like  a  roasted  little  baby !  Fy !" 
Never  mind.  I  can  only  say  that  if  you  ever  go  into 
the  forests  of  Equatorial  Africa,  and  taste  of  a  monkey 
in  the  season  when  those  animals  are  fat,  you  will  ex- 
claim with  me, ''  What  delicious  and  delicate  food  !  how 
exquisite  !"  As  I  am  writing  these  lines,  the  recollection 
of  those  meals  makes  me  hungry.  I  wish  I  had  a  mon- 
key here,  ready  for  cooking.  I  would  invite  you  to  par- 
take of  it ;  and  I  think  you  could  eat  the  monkey  with- 
out being  accused  of  cannibalism. 

The  first  time  after  my  arrival  at  Mayolo's  village  that 
I  took  my  photographic  tent  out  of  its  japanned  tin  box, 
I  called  him  to  look  at  it  after  I  had  fixed  it  ready  for 
use,  but  it  was  not  easy  to  get  him  to  come.  He  had  a 
suspicion  that  there  was  witchcraft  in  it.  Finally  I  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  him  to  look  at  the  apparatus.  I  made 
him  look  at  the  prairie  through  the  yellow  window-glass 
by  which  the  light  came  into  the  little  tent  while  1  was 
working  with  the  chemicals  or  the  plates.  As  he  looked, 
the  trees,  the  grass,  the  sunlight,  the  ant-hills,  the  people, 
the  fowl:^,  the  goats,  all  appeared  yellow  to  him.  The 
o^ood  old  fellow  was  frio^htened  out  of  his  wits.  He 
thought  I  was  practicing  witchcraft.  I  believe  if  he  had 
gone  into  the  tent  he  would  have  died  of  fright.  He 
stepped  back,  looked  at  me  with  fear  and  amazement, 
and  went  away,  raising  his  hands,  and  with  his  mouth 
\\dde  open.  After  a  while  he  said  that  I  had  turned  the 
world  to  another  color.  The  next  day  all  the  people 
came  to  see  the  wonderful  thing. 


ASTEONOMICAL  OB^EIiVATWXS.  177 

I  had  so  little  to  do  that  I  gave  my  whole  heart  to  the 
contemplation  of  the  heavens.  Many  hours  of  the  night 
were  spent  by  me  looking  at  the  stars.  When  every  one 
had  gone  to  sleep,  I  stood  all  alone  on  the  prairie,  with  a 
gnn  by  my  side,  watcliing.  There  was  no  place  upon 
our  earth  where  one  could  get  a  grander  view  of  the 
heavens  than  that  I  now  occupied,  for  I  stood  almost  un- 
der the  equator,  and  the  months  of  April  and  May  in 
Mayolo  were  the  months  when  the  atmosphere  is  the 
purest ;  for  after  the  storms  the  azure  of  the  sky  was  so 
intensely  deep  that  it  made  the  stars  doubly  bright  in 
the  blue  vault  of  heaven. 

At  that  period  the  finest  constellations  of  the  southern 
hemisphere  were  within  view  at  the  same  time — the  con- 
stellations of  the  Ship,  the  Cross,  the  Centaur,  the  Scor- 
pion, and  the  Belt  of  Orion,  and  also  the  three  brightest 
stars  in  the  heavens,  Sirius,  Canopus,  and  a  Centauri. 

How  fond  I  was  of  looking  at  the  stars  !  I  loved  many 
of  them ;  they  were  my  great  friends,  for  they  were  my 
guides  in  their  apparently  ascending  and  descending 
course.  How  glad  I  was  when  one  of  these  lovely  friends 
again  made  its  appearance  after  a  few  months'  absence ! 
how  anxiously  I  watched  toward  the  east  for  its  retui-n  ! 
and  at  last,  as  it  rose  from  the  dim  horizon,  and  became 
brighter  and  brighter  in  ascending  the  heavens,  how  it 
delighted  my  heart !  Do  not  wonder  at  it  when  I  say  I 
love  the  stars,  for  without  them  I  would  not  have  known 
where  to  direct  my  steps.  I  watched  them  as  a  totter- 
ing child  watches  his  mother. 

"  Oft  the  traveler  in  the  dark 
Tlianks  von  for  your  tin}-  spark  ; 
AVould  not  know  which  way  to  go 
If  vou  did  not  twinkle  so." 


178  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

YeniTS  shone  splendidly,  and  threw  her  radiance  all 
around ;  red  Mars,  Jupiter,  and  Saturn  were  in  sight ; 
the  Southern  Cross  (so  named  on  account  of  the  four 
bright  stars  which  form  a  cross) ;  not  far  from  the  cross 
were  the  "  Coal -sac,"  like  two  dark  patches.  Xo  tele- 
scope powerful  enough  has  ever  been  made  to  see  any 
star  there.  There  is  no  other  spot  of  the  kind  in  the 
starry  heavens. 

The  Magellanic  clouds  were  also  seen ;  they  were  like 
two  white-looking  patches — especially  the  larger  one — 
brightly  illuminated  as  they  revolve  round  the  starless 
South  Pole.  Then,  as  if  the  scene  was  not  beautiful 
enough,  there  stood  that  part  of  the  Milky  Way  between 
the  50th  and  the  80th  parallel,  so  beautiful  and  rich  in 
crowded  nebulae  and  stars  that  it  seemed  to  be  in  a  per- 
fect blaze ;  between  Sirius  and  the  Centaur  the  heavens 
appeared  most  brilliantly  illuminated,  and  as  if  they  were 
a  blaze  of  lio:ht. 

At  the  same  time,  looking  northward,  I  could  see  the 
beautiful  constellation  of  the  Great  Bear,  which  was 
about  the  same  altitude  above  the  horizon  as  the  constel- 
lation of  the  Cross  and  of  the  Centaur,  some  of  the  stars 
in  the  two  constellations  passing  the  meridian  within  a 
short  time  of  each  other :  y  Ursse  Majoris  half  an  hour 
before  a  Crucis,  and  Benetnasch  eleven  minutes  before 
j3  Centauri. 

Where  could  any  one  have  a  grander  ^'iew  of  the  heav- 
ens at  one  glance  ?  From  a  Ursse  Majoris  to  a  Crucis 
there  was  an  arc  of  125° ;  and,  as  if  to  give  a  still  grand- 
er view  of  the  almost  enchanting  scene,  the  zodiacal  light 
rose  after  the  sun  had  set,  increasing  in  brilliancy,  of  a 
bright  yellow  color,  and  rising  in  a  pyramidal  shape  high 


TAKING   AN    OBSERVATION. 


TUJ::  ZODJA  CAL  LIGHT.  i  g \ 

into  the  sky,  often  so  bright  that  the  contrast  between 
the  blue  sky  and  this  yellow  glow  was  most  beautiful. 
It  often  became  visible  half  an  hour  after  the  sun  had 
disappeared,  and  was  very  brilliant,  like  a  second  sun- 
set; it  still  increased  in  brilliancy,  and  often  attained  a 
bright  orange-color  at  the  base,  gradually  becoming  faint- 
er and  fainter  at  the  top.  It  could  be  seen  almost  every 
niglit  during  the  months  of  April  and  May.  So  if,  under 
the  equator,  I  had  not  the  splendid  Aurora  Borealis  to 
behold,  I  had  the  soft  zodiacal  light  to  contemplate. 

I  would  take  astronomical  observations  whenever  I 
could,  so  that  I  might  know  my  latitude  and  longitude, 
and  I  took  a  great  many  at  Mayolo.  In  the  evening  I 
would  bring  out  my  sextant,  my  policeman's  lantern,  my 
artificial  horizon,  my  thermometer,  and  would  work  for 
hours. 

I  vdll  explain  to  you  the  use  of  the  artificial  horizon. 
It  is  so  called  on  account  of  being  an  imitation  of  the 
natural  horizon.  Quicksilver  is  the  best  material.  The 
heavenly  bodies  are  reflected  upon  it,  and  you  must  lay 
your  artificial  horizon  in  such  a  way  that  the  object  you 
are  watching  is  reflected  on  it,  and  tlien,  with  your  sex- 
tant, you  bring  the  direct  object  to  its  reflected  image  on 
the  quicksilver,  and  the  reading  of  the  sextant  gives  you 
the  number  of  degrees,  minutes,  and  seconds  of  altitude. 

It  is  always  good  to  take  two  stars,  one  north  and  the 
other  south  of  the  zenith  of  the  place.  "While  at  Mayolo 
I  would  often  take  one  of  the  stars  of  the  constellation 
of  the  Great  Bear  and  one  of  the  constellation  of  the 
Cross  the  same  evening.  You  liave  to  watch  carefully 
when  the  star  has  reached  its  liighest  altitude,  that  is  to 
say,  when  it  appears  neither  to  ascend  or  descend. 


182 


THE  COUXTRT  OF  THE  DWARFS. 


But  the  most  difficult  observations  were  those  of  the 
hmar  distances  for  longitude.  In  those  observations  I 
generally  nsed  three  sextants,  one  for  the  altitude  of  the 
moon,  another  for  the  altitude  of  a  star,  and  another  for 
the  distance  between  the  moon  and  the  star.  My  watch, 
my  slate,  my  pencil,  and  my  policeman's  lantern  were 
also  placed  near  me.  The  two  artificial  horizons  were  in 
front  of  me,  and  when  every  thing  was  ready  I  would 
take  an  altitude  of  the  moon,  then  that  of  the  star,  then 
look  at  my  watch,  and  note  down  the  exact  time  of  each 
observation ;  then  take  four  distances,  and  note  the  exact 
time  each  distance  was  taken,  and  then  again  the  altitude 
of  the  star  and  moon  in  the  reverse  order  of  the  first  por- 
tion of  the  observation. 

The  following  example  will  show  you  how  a  lunar  dis- 
tance is  taken  with  a  sextant : 


OBSERVATIONS  FOR  LUNAR  DISTANCES. 


Date. 

Place. 

Time. 

Object. 

Alt.  and 
Distaiice. 

Index           T..Tnr. 

Error.       iT^niP- 

Resulting 
Longitude,  E. 

1865. 

May  6 

Mayolo  (cont<».) 

H.     M.     S.l 

11    1  30  k  Alt. 
11    4  30  Jupiter  Alt. 
11    7  25  Distance 
11    9  42  Distance 
11  11  53  Distance 
11  13  27  Distance 
11  15  10  JnpiterAlt. 
11  18    2_lAlt. 

121  12  40 
62  44  20 
85  43  40 
85  42  50 
85  42  20 
85  42  20 
67  31     0 

113    5  10 

one  30 
on  5  20 

^onO  40 

Fahr. 

T7-0 

1 

-11     7  15 

Planet  E. 
ofMoou. 

11  19  44i_^Alt. 
11  22    7  Jupiter  Alt. 
11  24  24  Distance 
11  26  IS; Distance 
11  31  43 1  Distance 
11  33  10:Di.stance 
11  35    8  JnpiterAlt. 
11  36  40^  Alt. 

112  16    0 
70  37  40 
85  38    0 
85  37  50 
85  37    0 
85  36    0 
76  22    0 

103  59  30 

on  6  50 
on  5  20 

^  on  0  40 

77-0 

1 
■11  11  15 

Planet  E. 
of  Moon. 

Take  as  many  lunar  observations  as  you  can  east  and 
west  of  the  moon — the  more  the  better — and  you  will 
be  able  to  know  your  exact  longitude  w^ith  more  certain- 


BUR  NINO  HEAT.  183 

i:^\  It  would  be  here  too  complicated  to  tell  you  how  to 
make  the  calculations,  but  I  am  sure  that  after  a  while 
many  of  you  would  be  able  to  make  them. 

B}^  lunar  observations,  if  sickness  or  some  other  cause 
has  made  you  forget  the  day  of  the  month,  or  even  the 
•year,  you  can  find  it  again.  Several  times  I  lost  my  days 
while  traveling. 

The  heat  was  intense  at  Mayolo.  The  rays  of  the  sun 
were  very  powerful,  and  raised  the  mercury  nearly  to 
150°.  Just  think  of  it !  In  order  to  know  the  heat  of 
the  sun,  the  thermometer  was  only  a  glass  tube  support- 
ed by  two  little  sticks.  I  had  to  take  care  that  the  rays 
of  the  sun  fell  always  perpendicularly  on  the  mercury. 


CHAPTER  XYIII. 


SATING    GOOD -BY. —  A   PANIC  -  STKICKEN   VILLAGE. —  PACIFY- 

LXG    THE    people's    FEAKS. — A   TIPSY    SCENE. MAJESTY 

ON   A    SPREE. — LUNCH   BY   A   KIVEK    SIDE. 

On  the  30th  of  May,  early  in  the  morning,  there  was 
great  excitement  in  Mayolo's  village.  That  morning  we 
were  to  leave  for  the  Apono  country.  Mayolo  himself 
was  to  take  me  there,  and  we  were  all  getting  ready,  the 
men  carefully  arranging  their  otaitais.  The  horns  were 
blown  as  the  signal  for  our  departure,  and  we  took  the 
path  in  single  file,  Igala  leading,  and  Mayolo  and  I  bring- 
ing up  the  rear. 

"  Good-by,  Oguizi !"  shouted  the  people.  "  Don't  for- 
get us,  Oguizi !     Come  back,  Oguizi !" 

Following  a  path  in  the  prairie,  we  traveled  directly 
^ast.  Our  road  lay  among  the  ant-hills,  which  could  be 
counted  by  tens  of  thousands,  of  which  I  gave  you  a 
description  in  my  "  Apingi  Kingdom."  After  a  march 
of  seven  miles  we  came  to  Mount  l^omba-Obana.  May- 
olo once  lived  on  the  top  of  this  mountain,  but  moved  his 
village  to  its  base,  and  afterward  went  to  the  place  where 
I  found  him.  At  the  foot  of  N'omba-Obana,  on  the  some- 
what precipitous  side,  were  great  quantities  of  blocks  of 
red  sandstone,  and  in  this  neighborhood  we  saw  the  ru- 
ins of  Mayolo's  former  village.    Mayolo  is  always  chang- 


A  GEXEliAL  PAXIC.  185 

iiig  his  home,  for  he  fancies  that  the  places  he  occupies 
are  bewitched. 

At  a  distance  of  about  three  miles  from  Nomba-Obana 
we  came  to  a  stream  called  Ndooja,  which  we  forded, 
but  in  the  rainy  season  it  must  be  a  considerable  body  of 
water.  We  were  approaching  the  Apono  villages,  and  I 
felt  somewhat  anxious,  for  I  did  not  know  what  kind  of 
reception  the  people  would  give  me.  Groves  of  palm- 
trees  were  very  abundant,  and  I  could  see  numerous  cal- 
abashes hanging  at  the  tree-tops,  ready  to  receive  the  sap, 
which  is  called  palm  wine. 

At  last  we  came  in  sight  of  the  village  of  Mouendi, 
where  we  intended  to  stay.  The  chief  was  a  great  friend 
of  Mayolo.  As  soon  as  the  inhabitants  saw  me  a  shout 
rent  the  air.  AH  the  people  fled,  the  women  carrying 
their  children,  and  w^eeping.  The  cry  was, "  Here  is  the 
Oguizi !  Oguizi !  Is"ow  that  we  have  seen  him,  we  are 
going  to  die."     I  saw  and  heard  all  this  with  dismay. 

We  entered  the  village.  Kot  a  soul  was  left  in  it ;  it 
was  as  still  as  death.  I  could  see  the  traces  of  hurried 
preparations  for  flight  as  we  continued  our  march  through 
the  street  of  this  silent  village  till  we  came  near  the  ouan- 
dja.  There  I  saw  Nchiengain,  the  chief,  and  two  other 
men,  w^ho  had  not  deserted  him.  These  were  the  only 
inhabitants  we  could  see.  The  body  of  the  chief  was 
marked,  striped,  and  painted  with  the  chalk  of  the  alum- 
bi.  lie  seemed  fllled  with  fear ;  but  the  sight  of  Mayolo, 
his  nkaga^ "  born  the  same  day,"  seemed  somewhat  to  re- 
assure him. 

Mayolo  said,  "  l^chiengain,  do  not  be  afraid ;  come 
nearer.  Do  not  be  afraid.  Come!"  Then  we  went 
under  the  ouandja,  and  seated  ourselves.     In  the  mean 


1 8 6  THE  CO  UNTR  Y  OF  THE  D  WAliFS. 

time,  I  had  taken  a  look  at  IS'cliiengaiii.  He  was  a  tall, 
slender  old  negro,  with  a  mild  and  almost  timid  expres- 
sion of  countenance. 

Then  Mayolo  said,  "  I  told  3^011,  Xchiengain,  that  I  was 
coming  with  the  Oguizi.  Here  we  are.  The  Spirit  has 
come  here  to  do  you  good — to  give  you  beads,  and  many 
nice  things.  Then  he  will  leave  you  after  a  while,  and 
go  still  farther  on." 

Then  I  spoke  to  Nchiengain  in  his  own  language,  for 
the  Aponos  speak  the  same  language  as  the  Ashira  and 
Otando  people.  I  said, "  IS'chiengain,  do  not  be  afraid  of 
me.  I  come  to  be  a  friend  ;  I  come  to  do  you  good.  I 
come  to  see  3'ou,  and  then  will  pass  on,  leaving  beads  and 
fine  things  for  3^our  women  and  yourselves.  Look  here" 
— pointing  to  all  the  loads  which  my  Otando  porters  had 
laid  on  the  ground — "part  of  these  things  will  be  for 
your  people,"  and  immediately  I  put  around  his  neck  a 
necklace  of  very  large  beads,  and  placed  a  red  cap  on  his 
head.  I  then  gave  necklaces  of  smaller  beads  to  the  two 
other  men,  and  said,  "  J^chiengain,  you  will  have  mop 
things,  but  your  people  must  come  back ;  I  do  not  like  to 
live  in  a  village  from  which  all  the  people  have  run 
away.  Mayolo's  people  did  not  run  away,  and  you  do 
not  know  what  great  friends  we  are.  Call  your  people 
back." 

I  then  went  around  the  village,  and  hung  a  few  strings 
of  teads  to  the  trees,  and  Nchiengain  shouted,  "Come 
back,  Aponos ;  come  back !  Do  not  be  afraid  of  the 
Spirit.  As  you  come  back,  look  at  the  trees,  and  you 
will  see  the  beads  the  Spirit  has  brought  for  us,  and 
which  he  will  give  to  us."  The  two  men  then  went  out 
upon  the  prairie  and  into  the  woods,  and  before  sunset 


A  WEARY  MARCH.  187 

a  few  men  and  women,  braver  than  the  rest,  returned  to 
the  village,  taking  with  them  the  beads  which  they  had 
seen  hanging  from  the  branches  of  the  trees. 

In  the  evening  the  bright  tires  blazing  in  all  directions 
showed  that  the  fears  of  the  people  had  been  allayed,  and 
that  many  of  them  had  returned  to  their  homes. 

How  tired  I  felt  that  evening !  for  not  only  had  I  been 
excited  all  day,  but  I  had  left  Mayolo's  village  in  the 
morning  with  a  hea\^  load  on  my  back.  Besides  my 
revolvers,  I  carried  a  double-barreled  gun,  and  in  my  bag 
I  had  fifty  cartridges  for  revolvers,  ten  bullets  for  a  long- 
range  Enfield  rifie,  ten  bullets  for  smootli-bore  guns,  ten 
steel-pointed  bullets,  and  more  than  twenty  pounds  of 
small  shot,  buck-shot,  powder,  etc.  In  all,  I  carried  a 
weight  of  over  sixty  pounds,  besides  my  food,  and  my 
aneroids,  barometers,  policeman's  lantern,  and  prismatic 
compass.  I  was  so  w^eary  that  I  could  not  sleep.  I  re- 
solved not  to  carry  such  big  loads  any  more. 

But  my  work  was  not  yet  done :  in  the  evening  I  had 
to  make  astronomical  observations.  As  I  was  afraid  of 
frightening  the  people,  I  had  to  do  this  slyly.  I  was 
glad  when  I  had  finished  it,  but  I  found  by  my  observa- 
tions that  we  had  gone  directly  east  from  Mayolo's  vil- 
lage. 

The  next  morning  I  walked  from  one  end  of  the  vil- 
lage of  Mouendi  to  the  other.  The  street  was  four  hun- 
dred and  forty-seven  yards  long,  and  eighteen  yards 
broad.  The  soil  was  claj^  and  not  a  blade  of  grass  could 
be  seen.  The  houses  were  from  five  to  seven  yards  long, 
and  from  seven  to  ten  feet  broad;  the  height  of  the 
walls  was  about  four  feet,  and  the  distance  from  the 
ground  to  the  top  of  the  roof  was  seven  or  eight  feet. 


188  THE  CO  UNTR  Y  OF  THE  D  WARES. 

Back  of  the  houses  were  immense  nmnbers  of  plantain- 
trees.  In  the  morning  many  of  the  people  returned. 
Mayolo  and  Nchiengain  had  a  long  talk  together.  Xchi- 
engain  was  fully  persuaded  that  I  could  do  any  thing  I 
wished ;  consequently,  that  I  could  make  any  amount  of 
goods  and  beads  for  him.  A  grand  palaver  took  place, 
and  Mayolo  began  the  day  by  making  a  speech.  He 
said, 

"  The  last  moon  I  sent  some  of  my  people  to  buy  salt 
from  you  Apono.  You  refused  to  sell  salt,  and  sent  word 
that  you  did  not  want  the  Oguizi  to  come  into  your  coun- 
try, because  he  brought  the  plague,  sickness,  and  deatli. 
So  I  said  to  the  Oguizi,  ^  I^ever  mind ;  there  is  a  chief  in 
the  Apono  country  who  is  my  iikaga  (born  the  same 
day) ;  I  will  send  messengers  to  him ;  he  has  big  ca- 
noes, and  I  am  sure  he  will  let  us  cross  the  river  with 
them.'  Then  I  sent  three  of  my  nephews  to  you,  Nchi- 
engain,  my  nkaga,  with  beads  and  nice  things,  and  I  said 
to  them, '  Go  and  tell  l^chiengain  that  I  am  coming  with 
the  Oguizi,  who  is  on  his  way  to  the  country  of  the  Isho- 
gos.'  You  sent  back  your  kendo,  l^chiengain,  with  the 
words, '  Tell  Mayolo  to  come  with  his  Oguizi.'  Here  we 
are,  Nchiengain,  in  your  village,  and  I  am  sure  you  and 
your  people  will  not  slight  us"  {injpoxiguizd). 

I  gave  to  Nchiengain  one  shirt,  six  yards  of  prints,  one 
coat,  a  red  cap,  one  big  bunch  of  white  beads  and  one 
of  red,  a  necklace  of  very  large  beads,  files,  fire-steels, 
spoons,  knives  and  forks,  a  large  looking-glass,  and  some 
other  trinkets,  and  then  called  the  leading  men  and  wom- 
en, and  gave  them  presents  also.  This  settled  our  friend- 
ship, for  the  people  were  pleased  with  the  wonderful 
things  I  gave  them. 


A  J  DLL  Y  FM  OLIC.  189 

The  news  of  my  untold  wealth  spread  far  and  wide. 
People  from  a  neighboring  village^  who  had  been  very 
much  opposed  to  my  journey  through  their  country, 
made  their  appearance.  When  Nchiengain  saw  them, 
lie  said, "  Go  away !  go  away !  now  you  come  because 
you  have  smelt  the  niva  (goods  and  nice  things).  You 
are  not  afraid  now." 

After  two  or  three  days  the  people  of  Mouendi  began 
to  say, "  How  is  it  that  two  or  three  days  ago  we  were  so 
afraid  of  the  Spirit  ?  Now  our  fears  are  gone,  and  we 
love  him.  lie  plays  w^ith  our  children,  and  gives  beads 
to  our  women."  When  I  heard  them  utter  these  words, 
I  said,  "  Apono,  that  is  the  way  I  travel.  Those  fine 
things  that  I  give  you  are  the  plague  I  leave  behind  me ! 
I  bring  not  death,  but  beads ;  so  do  not  be  afraid  of 
me."    They  replied, "  Eovano  !  Rovano !"  ("That  is  so  !") 

A  few  days  passed  away,  and  then  the  Apono  and  I 
became  great  friends.  They  began  to  wonder  why  they 
had  been  so  frightened  by  the  Ihamha  (a  new  name  giv- 
en me  by  the  Apono),  and  soon  all  the  people  had  re- 
turned to  the  village.  Good  old  Nchiengain  and  'May- 
olo  had  at  last  a  jolly  frolic  together,  and  got  quite  tipsy 
with  palm  wine.  I  wish  you  had  heard  them  talk.  The 
way  they  were  going  to  travel  wnth  me  w^as  something 
wonderful.  Such  fast  traveling  on  foot  you  never  heard 
of  before.  Tribe  after  tribe  were  to  be  passed  by  them. 
They  were  not  afraid ;  they  did  not  care.  We  were  even 
to  travel  by  night  over  the  prairie,  for  the  full  moon  was 
coming. 

After  a  few  days  at  Mouendi,  ISTchiengain  with  his 
Aponos,  and  Mayolo  with  his  own  people,  took  me  far- 
ther on ;  but  before  our  departure  Nchiengain  and  the 


1 90  1'iiE  CO  UXTR  Y  OF  THE  D  WAEFS. 

Apono  went  out  before  daj'light  to  obtain  the  palm  wine 
wdiicli  had  fallen  into  their  calabashes  during  the  night. 
By  sunrise  they  were  all  tipsy,  and  Nchiengain  was  reel- 
ing, but  he  was  full  of  enthusiasm  for  the  journey ;  May- 
olo  also  was  tipsy,  but  not  quite  so  far  gone  as  his  friend 
Nchiengain.  When  I  saw  this  state  of  things  I  demol- 
ished all  the  mhomi  (calabashes),  spilling  on  the  ground 
the  palm  \vine  they  contained,  to  the  great  sorrow  of  the 
Aponos. 

"  Where  is  Nchiengain  ?"  I  inquired,  when  we  were 
ready  to  start.  He  could  not  be  found ;  and,  suspecting 
that  he  was  somewhere  behind  his  hut,  drinking  more 
palm  wine  before  starting,  I  went  to  hunt  for  him.  The 
old  rascal,  thinking  I  was  busy  engaged  in  looking  after 
ray  men,  was  quietly  drinking  from  the  mbomi  itself, 
with  his  head  up  and  his  mouth  wide  open.  Before  he 
had  time  to  think,  I  seized  his  calabash,  and  poured  the 
contents  on  the  ground.  Poor  l^chiengain !  he  suppli- 
cated me  not  to  pour  it  all  away,  but  to  leave  a  little  bit 
for  him.  "  I  will  go  with  you  at  once,"  he  said ;  "  give 
me  back  my  mug"  (a  mug  I  had  given  him) ;  "  oh.  Spir- 
it, give  it  back  to  me !"  By  this  time  all  the  villagers 
had  gathered  about  us.  I  put  the  mug  on  the  ground, 
and  told  Xchiengain's  wife  to  come  and  take  it;  and 
this  gave  great  joy  to  the  people,  who  exclaimed, "  Kchi- 
engain,  go  quick  !  go  quick  !" 

When  we  left  I  went  to  the  rear,  to  see  that  all  the 
porters  were  ahead ;  but  old  N'chiengain  lagged  behind, 
for  he  could  not  walk  fast  enough. 

Three  quarters  of  an  hour  afterward  we  found  our- 
selves on  the  banks  of  a  large  river,  the  same  which  is 
described  in  my  "Apingi  Kingdom" — that  kingdom  be- 


A  TiriSY  KING.  191 

iiig  situated  farther  down  the  stream  than  the  point  at 
which  we  were  now  to  cross.  The  river  could  not  be 
seen  from  the  prairie,  for  its  banks  were  hned  w^ith  a 
belt  of  forest  trees.  AYe  found  on  the  banks  of  the 
stream  Kchiengain's  big  canoe  waiting  for  us,  together 
witli  some  smaller  ones.  The  large  canoe  was  very  ca- 
pacious, but  before  all  my  luggage  could  be  ferried  over 
it  was  necessary  to  make  seven  trips.  I  sent  Igala,  Re- 
bouka,  and  Mouitchi  to  the  other  side  with  the  fii-st  load 
to  keep  watch.  The  canoe  had  just  returned  from  its 
seventh  trip,  and  the  men  were  landing,  when  suddenly 
I  heard  the  voice  of  Xchiengain  in  the  woods  shouting, 
"  I  am  coming,  Spirit !  Nchiengain  is  coming !"  It  was 
half  past  four  P.M.     A  whole  day  had  been  lost. 

Isot  caring  to  take  his  majesty  Nchiengain  reeling 
drunk  into  my  canoe,  I  jumped  into  it  and  ordered  the 
men  to  push  from  the  shore  with  the  utmost  speed.  We 
started  in  good  time,  for  we  were  hardly  off  when  I  began 
to  distinguish  the  king's  form  through  the  woods,  and 
when  he  reached  the  shore  we  were  about  fifty  yards 
distant.  We  heard  him  shout  "  Come  back !  come  back 
to  fetcli  me  ;"  but  the  louder  he  called  the  more  deaf  we 
were.  "  Go  on,  boys  !"  I  ordered.  As  our  backs  were 
turned  to  the  king,  of  course  we  could  not  see  him.  Fi- 
nally we  landed,  and,  taking  my  glass,  I  saw  poor  Nchien- 
gain  gesticulating  on  the  other  side,  apparently  in  a  dread- 
ful state,  thinking  that  I  had  left  him.  The  canoe  was 
sent  back  for  liim,  and  a  short  time  afterward  lie  was 
landed  on  our  side  of  the  river,  to  his  great  delight. 
Two  or  three  times  during  the  passage  he  lost  his  equi- 
librium, but  he  did  not  fall.  When  he  joined  us  he  was 
about  as  tipsy  as  when  I  left  him  in  the  morning. 

I 


192  TUE  CO  UXTR  Y  OF  THE  D  WARES. 

Poor  Mayolo,  who  had  been  continually  tipsy  since  we 
had  left  his  village,  fell  ill  during  the  night,  and  a  very 
high  fever  punished  him  for  his  sins. 

We  built  our  camp  where  we  had  landed.  A  thick 
wood  grew  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  and  firewood  was 
plentiful.  In  the  evening  Nchiengain  was  sober  again, 
and  before  ten  o'clock  every  body  was  fast  asleep  except 
three  of  my  Commi  men,  wlio  were  on  the  watch.  The 
dogs  were  lying  asleep,  and  almost  in  the  fire.  Every 
thing  now  promised  well,  and  I  was  anxious  to  hurry  for- 
ward as  rapidly  as  possible  on  the  following  day. 

At  a  quarter  past  six  o'clock  A.M.  we  left  our  encamp- 
ment, every  body  being  perfectly  sober.  Soon  afterward 
we  emerged  from  the  woods  into  a  prairie,  and  passed 
several  villages,  the  people  of  which  seemed  to  have  heard 
wonderful  stories  of  my  wealth.  They  came  out,  and 
followed  me  with  supplies  of  goats  and  plantain,  and 
begged  Nchiengain  and  his  people  to  remain  with  the 
Oguizi.  In  the  villages  they  went  so  far  as  to  promise 
several  slaves  to  Nchiengain  if  he  would  do  this.  Hun- 
dreds of  these  villagers,  while  following  us,  gazed  at  me, 
but  if  I  looked  at  them  they  fled  in  alarm.  Finally,  see- 
ing that  it  was  useless  to  follow,  they  went  back,  shout- 
ing to  Kchiengain  and  to  Mayolo  that  it  was  their  fault 
if  I  did  not  stop.  My  porters  joined  them  in  their  grum- 
bling, for  the  fat  goats  tempted  them. 

About  midday  we  halted  in  a  beautiful  wooded  hol- 
low, through  which  ran  a  little  rivulet  of  clear  water, 
and  by  its  side  we  seated  ourselves  for  breakfast.  I  was 
really  famished.  After  spending  an  hour  in  eating  and 
resting,  we  started  again.  When  we  came  out  of  the 
wood  we  saw  paths  leading  in  different  directions,  one 


THE  PRAIRIE  OF  STONES. 


193 


going  directlj  east  to  several  Apono  villages.  Xchien- 
gaiu  was  opposed  to  our  passage  tlirongli  them,  and  there- 
fore we  struck  a  path  leading  in  a  more  southerly  direc- 
tion, or  S.  S.E.  by  compass.  For  three  hours  we  journeyed 
over  an  undulating  prairie  dotted  with  clumps  of  woods, 
and  then  crossed  a  prairie  called  Matimbie  irimba  (the 
prairie  of  stones),  the  soil  of  which  was  covered  with  lit- 
tle stones  containing  a  good  deal  of  iron.  The  men  suf- 
fered greatly  as  they  stepped  upon  them. 


CHAPTEK  XIX. 

RUMOES     OF    WAE. TIIEOUGH    A    BUKNING    PRAIRIE. IM- 
MINENT    PERIL. NARROW     ESCAPE     FROM     A     HORRIBLE 

DEATH. A    LONELY   NIGHT-WATCH. 

War  began  to  loom  up  as  we  reached  the  southeast 
end  of  the  Matimbie  irimba.  We  came  to  a  village 
called  Dilolo,  the  path  we  were  following  leading  direct- 
ly to  it,  and  as  we  approached  we  found  that  the  place 
had  been  barricaded,  and  that  it  was  guarded  outside  by 
all  its  fighting  men.  On  the  path  charms  had  been 
placed,  to  frighten  away  the  Aponos.  The  men  were 
armed  with  spears,  bows  and  arrows,  and  sabres.  When 
we  came  near  earshot,  having  left  the  path  with  the  in- 
tention of  passing  by  the  side  of  the  village,  they  vented 
bitter  curses  against  K'chiengain  for  bringing  the  Oguizi 
into  their  country — "  the  Oguizi  who  comes  with  the  evi- 
va  (plague)  into  villages,"  they  shouted.  "  Do  not  come 
near  us ;  do  not  try  to  enter  our  village,  for  there  will 
be  war !"  The  war-drums  were  beaten,  and  the  men  ad- 
vanced and  retired  before  us,  spear  in  hand,  as  if  to 
drive  us  away,  for  they  thought  we  had  come  too  near. 
We  marched  forward,  nevertheless.  So  long  as  the  Apo- 
no  porters  did  not  show  the  white  feather,  I  felt  safe ; 
they  also  had  their  spears  and  their  bows,  and  my  men 
held  their  guns  in  readiness.  Suddenly  fires  appeared 
in  different  parts  of  the  prairie.  The  people  of  Dilolo 
had  set  fire  to  the  grass,  hoping  that  we  might  perish  in 
the  flames.     The  fire  spread  with  fearful  rapidity,  but 


IN  PERIL.  195 

we  soon  came  to  a  place  where  our  jiatli  made  a  turn  hy 
the  village,  and  we  reached  the  rear  of  the  place.  At 
that  moment  we  observed  a  bodv  of  villae^ers  movin^y  in 

I/O  o 

our  direction,  evidently  intending  to  stop  our  progress. 
Presently  two  poisoned  arrows  were  shot  at  us.  I  thought 
we  were  going  to  have  a  fight,  but  ordered  my  men  to 
keej)  cool,  and  not  to  fire.  Nchiengain  walked  all  along 
the  line  to  cheer  up  his  men,  and  shouted  that "  Nchien- 
gain's  people  were  not  afraid  of  war,"  but  at  the  same 
time  he  begged  me  not  to  fire  a  gun  uidess  some  of  our 
people  were  hit  Avith  the  arrows. 

We  continued  our  march,  keeping  close  together,  so 
that  we  might  help  each  other  in  case  of  need.  My  men 
were  outside  the  path,  between  Nchiengain  and  the  Di- 
lolo  people,  with  their  guns  ready  to  fire  when  I  gave 
the  word.  The  villagers,  mistaking  our  forbearance  for 
fear,  became  bolder,  and  the  affair  was  coming  to  a  cri- 
sis. A  warrior,  uttering  a  fierce  cry  of  battle,  came  to- 
ward us,  and,  with  his  bow  bent,  stood  a  few  yards  in 
front  of  Rapelina,  threatening  to  take  his  life.  I  could 
see  the  poison  on  tlie  barbed  arrow.  My  eyes  were  fixed 
upon  the  fellow,  and  I  felt  very  much  like  sending  a 
bullet  through  his  head.  Plucky  Eapelina  faced  his  en- 
emy boldly,  and,  looking  him  fiercely  in  the  face,  uttered 
the  war  cry  of  the  Commi,  and,  lowering  the  muzzle  of 
his  gun,  advanced  two  steps,  and  shouted  in  the  Apono 
language  that  if  the  Dilolo  did  not  put  down  his  bow  he 
would  be  a  dead  man  before  he  could  utter  another  word. 
By  this  time  all  my  Commi  men  had  come  up,  with  the 
muzzle  of  their  guns  pointing  toward  the  Dilolo,  await- 
ing my  order  to  fii-e.  The  bow  fell  fi'om  the  warrioi-'s 
handj^id  he  retreated. 


190  'J^-tiE  VOUNTMY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

Ncliiengain  behaved  splendidly,  lie  began  to  curse 
the  Dilolo  people,  and  said  to  them, "  You  will  hear  of 
me  one  of  these  days ;"  and  my  Aponos  threw  down  their 
loads  and  got  ready  to  fight. 

"  Let  us  hurry,"  I  said  to  the  men  ;  "  don't  you  see  tlie 
country  is  getting  into  a  blaze  of  fire  ?  We  must  get  out 
of  it." 

I  fired  a  gun  after  we  had  passed  the  village,  and  the 
inhabitants  were  terrified  at  the  noise.  K'chiengain  was 
furious,  and  again  shouted  to  the  enemy, "  You  will  see 
that  I  am  not  a  boy,  and  that  my  name  is  Kchiengain !" 

The  discomfited  warriors  of  Dilolo  gradually  left  us, 
probably  thinking  that  the  fire,  so  rapidly  spreading, 
would  do  the  work  they  could  not  perform ;  and,  indeed, 
while  we  had  escaped  a  conflict  through  our  good  com- 
mon sense,  we  were  now  exposed  to  a  far  greater  danger. 
The  fire  was  gaining  fearfully.  The  wiiole  country 
seemed  to  be  in  a  blaze.  Happily,  the  wind  blew  from 
the  direction  in  wliich  we  were  going;  still  the  fiames 
were  fast  encircling  us,  and  there  w^as  but  one  break  in 
the  circuit  it  was  making.  I  shouted,  "  Hurry,  boys ! 
hurry  !  for  if  we  do  not  get  there  in  time,  we  shall  have 
to  go  back,  and  then  we  must  fight,  for  we  will  have  to 
get  into  the  village  of  Dilolo."  So  we  pressed  forward 
with  the  utmost  speed,  and  finally  our  road  lay  between 
two  walls  of  fire,  but  the  prairie  was  clear  of  flames 
ahead.  Although  the  walls  of  fire  w^ere  far  apart,  they 
were  gaining  upon  us.  "  Hurry  on,  boys  !"  I  exclaimed ; 
"  iiurry  on !"  We  walked  faster  and  faster,  for  the  smoke 
was  beginning  to  reach  us.  Tlie  fire  roared  as  it  went 
through  the  grass,  and  left  nothing  but  the  blackened 
ground  behind  it.     We  began  to  feel  the   heat.     The 


THRO  UGH  THE  FIRE.  1 9  7 

clear  space  was  getting  narrower  and  narrower.  I 
turned  to  look  behind,  and  saw  the  people  of  Dilolo 
watching  us.  Things  were  looking  badly.  Were  we 
going  to  be  burned  to  death?  Again  looking  back  to- 
ward Dilolo,  I  saw  that  the  fires  had  united,  and  that  the 
whole  country  lying  between  ourselves  and  Dilolo  was  a 
sheet  of  llame. 

Onward  we  sped,  Kchiengain  exhorting  his  men  to 
hurry.  AYe  breathed  the  hot  air,  but  happily  there  was 
still  an  open  space  ahead.  We  came  near  it,  and  felt 
relieved.  At  last  we  reached  it,  and  a  wild  shout  from 
Nchiengain,  the  Aponos,  and  my  Commi  rent  the  air. 
We  were  saved,  but  nearly  exhausted. 

I  said  to  my  Commi  men,  "Are  we  not  men?  There 
is  no  coming  back  after  this  !  Boys,  onward  to  the  Riv- 
er Nile !"  They  all  shouted  in  reply,  "  A¥e  must  go  for- 
ward ;  we  are  going  to  the  white  man's  country." 

Between  four  and  five  o'clock  we  came  to  another 
wood,  in  the  midst  of  which  was  a  cool  spring  of  water. 
We  encamped  there  for  the  night,  and  not  far  in  the  dis- 
tance on  the  prairie  we  could  see  the  smoke  coming  out 
of  a  cluster  of  Apono  villages.  They  dreaded  our  ap- 
proach. In  the  silence  of  the  twilight,  the  wind  from 
the  mountains  brought  to  us  the  cries  of  the  people. 
We  could  hear  the  shrieks  and  the  weeping  of  the  wom- 
en, and  the  beating  of  the  war-drums.  Afterward  the 
people  came  within  speaking  distance,  and  shouted  to  us, 
"  Oh,  Xchiengain,  why  have  you  brought  this  curse  upon 
us  ?  We  do  not  want  the  Oguizi  in  our  country,  who 
brings  the  plague  with  .him.  We  do  not  want  to  see  the 
Ibamba.  The  Ishogo  are  all  dead ;  the  Ashango  have 
all  left ;  there  is  nothing  but  trees  in  the  forest.     Go 


1  9  8  THE  CO  UXTR  Y  OF  THE  D  WAIiFS. 

back !  go  back !"  They  yelled  and  shouted  till  about 
ten  o'clock,  and  then  all  became  silent,  and  soon  after- 
ward my  people  were  asleep  by  the  fires  which  they  had 
lighted.  They  all  suffered  from  sore  feet.  Igala,  Mou- 
itchi,  and  Eapelina  were  to  keep  watch  with  me,  while 
my  other  Commi  men  were  resting ;  but  they,  too,  after 
a  while,  went  to  sleep.  Even  our  poor  dogs  were  tired, 
and  were  also  sound  asleep. 

I  stood  all  alone,  watching  over  the  whole  camp,  so 
anxious  that  I  could  not  sleep.  Things  did  look  dark 
indeed.  A  most  terrible  dread  of  me  had  taken  posses- 
sion of  the  people.  Something  had  to  be  done  to  allay 
their  fears,  or  my  journey  would  come  to  an  end. 

How  quiet  every  thing  was !  The  rippling  of  the  wa- 
ter coming  from  the  little  brook  sounded  strangely  in  the 
midst  of  tlie  silent  night.  I  looked  at  the  strange  scene 
around  me.  Each  of  my  men  had  his  gun  upon  his  arm, 
but  I  tliought  of  how  useless  the  weapons  would  be  in  the 
hands  of  men  so  weary,  and  sunk  in  deep  sleep.  If,  that 
night,  any  one  of  you  could  have  been  there,  3'ou  would 
have  seen  Paul  Du  Chaillu  leave  the  camp  and  the  woods, 
and  then  have  seen  him  all  alone  upon  the  prairie,  stand- 
ing like  a  statue,  no  one  by  him,  his  gun  in  one  hand,  his 
revolvers  hung  by  his  side.  The  stars  shone  beautifull}' 
above  his  head,  as  if  to  cheer  him  in  his  loneliness,  for 
lonely  and  sad  enough  he  felt.  Then,  with  an  anxious 
feeling,  he  looked  through  his  spy-glass  in  the  direction 
of  the  Apono  villages  to  see  if  any  thing  was  going  on 
there.     Xo.     All  there,  too,  was  silent  as  death. 

At  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  I  awakened  Igala  and 
some  of  my  Commi  boys,  and  told  them  to  keep  watcli 
while  I  tried  to  get  a  little  sleep. 


wm^m^ 

CHAPTER  XX. 

A  DEPUTATION  FROM  THE  VILLAGE. — A  PLAIN  TALK  WITH 
THEM.— A  BEAUTIFUL  AND  PROSPEROUS  TOWN. CHEER- 
FUL   CHARACTER    OF    THE    PEOPLE. — MORE    OBSERVATIONS. 

Before  daylight  I  arose,  and  again  went  out  upon  the 
prairie,  but  saw  no  one  there  from  the  Apono  vilkxges, 
and  heard  no  war-drumming.  After  a  while  a  deputa- 
tion of  three  men  came  from  the  village  to  Nchiengain, 
and  said,  "  ^Y\\y  have  you  brought  this  Oguizi  to  us  ?  He 
will  give  us  the  eviva." 

"  No,"  said  Nchiengain  ;  "  months  ago  the  eviva  was  in 
the  country.  I  myself  got  it ;  people  died  of  it,  and  oth- 
ers got  over  it.  The  eviva  has  worked  where  it  pleased, 
and  gone  where  it  pleased,  and  that  when  the  Spirit  had 
never  made  his  appearance.  He  has  nothing  to  do  with 
the  eviva.  Go  and  tell  your  people  that  Nchiengain  said 
so,  and  that  the  Spirit  has  only  been  a  few  days  in  our 
country."  The  men  went  off  without  seeing  me,  for 
Nchiengain  was  afraid  they  might  be  frightened. 

Toward  ten  o'clock  Nchiengain  and  Mayolo  were  sent 

for,  and,  a  short  time  after  they  had  gone,  some  of  Nchi- 

engain's  people  came  for  me,  saying  that  the  Aponos 

wanted  to  see  me,  and  that  Nchiengain  was  talking  to 

them  ;  so,  followed  by  all  my  Commi  men,  armed  to  the 

teeth,  I  started.     We   left  the  wood   and  entered  the 

beautiful  prairie,  and  soon  I  saw  Nchiengain  standing 

12 


200  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

lip,  and  by  him,  seated  in  rows  upon  the  ground  in  a 
semicircle,  were  several  hundreds  of  Aponos.  As  I  ap- 
proached they  began  to  move  backward,  each  row  trying 
to  hide  behind  the  other.  Then  Xchiengain  said, ''Do 
not  be  afraid,"  and  they  stopped. 

Xchiengain  said  to  me,  in  a  loud  voice,  so  that  every 
one  could  hear, "  The  Aponos  sent  for  me  this  morning 
to  ask  me  to  tell  you  to  come  out  of  that  wood.  They 
want  to  see  you,  the  great  Spirit.  Then  they  want  you 
to  go  on  the  top  of  that  hill"  (pointing  to  it), "  and  stay 
there  three  days,  so  that  the  people  may  come  and  look 
at  you,  and  bring  you  food." 

".No,"  said  I,  in  a  loud  voice,  "  no,  I  shall  not  go  on 
the  top  of  that  hill.  I  am  angry  with  the  Apono  people, 
for  they  curse  me  by  saying  that  I  bring  the  eviva  with 
me.  Has  not  the  eviva  been  here  long?  Did  not  the 
people  die  of  it  long  before  they  ever  heard  of  me  f 

"  Kovano  !  Rovano  !"  ("  That  is  so !")  shouted  the  Apo- 
nos. 

"  Aponos,"  I  resumed,  "  do  not  be  frightened ;  I  will 
make  you  hear  a  noise  you  never  heard  before,"  and  I 
ordered  my  men  to  discharge  their  guns.  The  Apono 
chiefs  stood  by  me,  and  I  said  to  them,  "Do  not  be 
afraid.""  Nevertheless,  a  good  many  of  the  people  fled. 
The  chiefs  did  not  move.  Then,  putting  beads  around 
their  necks,  I  said  to  them, "  Go  away  in  peace ;  the  Spir- 
it loves  the  Aponos."  The  people  departed,  and  I  went 
back  into  the  wood,  for  the  heat  was  intense  on  the 
prairie. 

In  the  afternoon  the  Aponos  became  emboldened,  and 
hundreds  of  them  came  to  get  a  look  at  me,  taking  care 
not  to  come  too  near.     Presents  of  goats,  fowls,  ground- 


.1  ORE  A  T  SENS  A  TION.  2  0 1 

nuts,  sugar-cane,  and  plantains  were  sent  to  me.  After- 
ward a  deputation  came  to  ask  me  to  leave  the  wood, 
and  to  come  to  a  wood  nearer  their  villages,  wlii(;li  I  did. 
Then  the  different  chiefs  of  tlie  adjacent  Apono  villages 
begged  me  to  become  their  guest,  and  to  remain  in  their 
villages. 

After  consultation  with  Nchiengain,  it  was  arranged 
that  we  were  to  go  to  a  village  called  Mokaba,  and  ac- 
cordingly we  left  our  encampment,  and  were  received  in 
the  midst  of  the  most  intense  excitement  by  the  villagers, 
who  exclaimed,  "  The  Spirit  is  coming !"  How  fright- 
ened they  seemed  to  be ! 

The  chief  came  and  walked  around  me,  fanning  me 
with  a  fan  made  of  the  ear  of  an  elephant,  and  saying, 
"Oguizi,  do  not  be  angry  with  me;  Oguizi,  do  not  be 
angry  with  me.  Oguizi,  I  never  saw  thee  before ;  I  am 
afraid  of  thee.  I  will  give  thee  food ;  I  will  give  thee 
all  I  have !" 

That  night  the  village  of  Mokaba  was  as  silent  as  the 
grave.  The  next  morning  immense  crowds  of  Aponos 
came  to  see  me.  The  noise  was  perfectly  deafening. 
The  people  hid  themselves  behind  the  trees,  in  the  tall 
grass  around  the  villages,  and  behind  the  huts,  or  wher- 
ever they  could  see  me  without  being  seen  by  me.  If 
perchance  I  cast  my  eyes  upon  one  of  them,  he  ran  away 
as  fast  as  his  legs  could  carry  him. 

I  spent  the  evening  in  making  a  great  number  of  as- 
tronomical observations.  The  Aponos,  when  they  saw 
me  do  this,  were  seized  with  fear,  and  the  next  morning 
they  came  to  ask  me  to  go  back  into  the  wood,  promis- 
ing that  they  would  bring  food  to  me.  I  refused,  saying, 
"  I  was  in  the  wood,  and  you  told  me  to  come  to  Mokaba  ; 


202  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

and  now  that  I  am  here,  you  ask  me  to  go  back  into  the 
wood.  I  will  not  go.  Do  not  be  afraid ;  I  am  not  an 
evil  spirit.     I  love  to  look  at  the  stars  and  at  the  moon." 

The  chief  of  Mokaba,  named  Kombila,  seemed  to  be  a 
nice  fellow,  of  medium  height,  black  as  jet,  with  several 
huge  scars  of  sabre  wounds  on  his  back  and  arms,  show- 
ing that  he  was  a  great  fighter,     I  liked  him  very  much. 

The  village  of  Mokaba  was  beautiful.  It  was  situated 
on  a  hill  in  the  prairie,  just  at  the  foot  of  the  woody  moun- 
tains which  form  a  part  of  the  immense  equatorial  range. 
From  the  mountains  came  a  stream  of  clear  water,  which 
ran  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  upon  which  Mokaba  was  built. 
The  mountains  in  the  background  seemed  to  be  very  high, 
and  the  country  was  picturesque.  The  village  was  not 
large,  but  its  houses  were  nice,  and  each  family  possessed  a 
square  yard,  around  which  the  dwellings  were  built.  The 
whole  place  was  adorned  with  three  squares,  in  the  midst 
of  which  grew  many  gigantic  palm-trees.  Back  of  the  vil- 
lage there  were  also  great  numbers  of  palm-trees,  which 
were  planted  by  the  parents  of  the  present  inhabitants. 
Goats  and  chickens  were  abundant.  The  plantain,  how- 
ever, is  the  food  of  the  country,  and  the  hills  surrounding 
Mokaba  were  covered  with  plantain  groves.  Handsome 
lime-trees,  covered  with  little  yellow  blossoms,  were  also 
to  be  seen  every  where. 

The  grass  of  the  prairie  was  yellow  and  tall,  and  re- 
minded me  of  the  wheat-fields  at  home  when  ready  for 
the  scythe.  Each  of  the  palm-trees  around  the  village, 
grown  from  seeds  planted  by  the  people,  had  its  owner. 
The  palm  is  a  precious  tree,  for  each  man  draws  from  it 
his  palm  wine,  and  makes  oil  from  the  nuts,  which,  when 
they  are  ripe,  are  of  a  beautiful  rich  dark  yellow  color. 


SINGULAR  PASTUIE.  203 

There  was  an  atmosphere  of  comfort  about  Mokaba, 
and  the  whole  country  adjacent  to  it,  which  did  my  heart 
good.  The  Mokabans  are  a  jolly  people  when  they  do 
not  fight  with  their  neighbors.  They  are  fond  of  danc- 
ing, and  the  ocuya  is  one  of  the  principal  amusements. 
This  is  a  queer  pastime,  and  I  will  try  to  describe  it  for 
you. 

One  day,  wdiile  I  was  quietly  seated  with  Kombila,  I 
heard  at  the  end  of  the  village  a  great  noise,  caused  by 
loud  singing,  and  immediately  afterward  saw  a  crowd  of 
people  walking  backward,  beating  tlieir  hands  and  sing- 
ing, with  their  bodies  bent  almost  double,  and  all  shout- 
ing, dancing,  and  singing  at  the  same  time.  Then  I  saw 
a  tall  figure  suddenly  emerge  from  bcliind  a  house  and 
come  into  the  street,  and  Kombila  exclaimed, "  The  ocu- 
ya !  the  ocuya !" 

The  tall  figure  seemed  to  be  about  twelve  feet  in  height. 
It  wore  a  long  dress  made  of  grass-cloth,  and  reaching 
nearly  to  the  ground.  The  creature's  face  was  covered 
with  a  white  mask  painted  with  ochre.  The  lips  of  the 
mask  appeared  to  be  open,  showing  that  the  two  upper 
and  middle  incisor  teeth  were  wanting.  The  funniest 
part  of  the  costume  was  tliat  the  mask  had  a  head-dress, 
looking  for  all  the  world  like  a  lady's  bonnet,  made  of  a 
monkey's  skin,  with  the  tail  hanging  on  the  back,  while 
the  part  of  the  bonnet  around  the  face  was  surrounded 
with  feathers.     Tlie  figure  was  a  man  on  stilts. 

But  troubles  and  cares  again  came  to  destroy  the  en- 
joyment I  had  in  their  lively  village.  Mayolo  fell  ill 
once  more,  and  grew  worse  so  rapidly  that  his  people  de- 
termined to  take  him  back  to  his  \'illage.  A  litter  was 
made  on  which  to  carry  him.     But  his  own  people  said 


204  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

he  had  become  jealous,  and  did  not  want  any  of  them  to 
get  my  fine  tilings ;  he  wanted  them  all  for  himself. 

The  party  left  early  in  tlie  morning.  In  the  afternoon 
news  came  that  the  chief  of  the  village  of  Dilolo  had 
died  that  day.  Fortunately,  the  people  of  Mokaba  did 
not  like  him,  and  they  shouted  with  joy  when  they  heard 
the  news.  He  wanted  war  when  he  tried  to  prevent  the 
Oguizi  and  his  people  from  passing,  and  if  war  had  come 
at  that  time  he  would  have  been  killed.  They  all  shout- 
ed, "  He  had  aniemba,  and  aniemba  has  killed  him ! 
He  will  give  us  no  more  trouble ;  he  will  prevent  no 
more  people  from  coming  to  us !  He  will  not  stop  the 
people  who  come  to  sell  us  salt !" 

Two  days  after  the  departure  of  Mayolo,  some  of  the 
Otandos,  with  some  of  the  Mouendi  people,  came  back 
to  Mokaba.  They  came  for  JSTcliiengain.  He  was  want- 
ed. I  never  learned  the  reason.  E'o  doubt  his  people 
were  afraid  to  leave  him  longer  with  me.  Mayolo's  life 
was  now  despaired  of,  and  the  Otando  people  told  me 
slyly  that  they  had  mpoga-oganga,  and  that  the  oganga 
had  said  that  the  Nchiengain  people  had  put  things  in 
the  palm  wine  Mayolo  drank  in  order  to  kill  him. 

Nchiengain  came  to  me  with  a  frightened  air  to  tell 
me  he  had  to  go.  He  seemed  to  be  afraid  of  me.  I  be- 
lieve he  thought  I  was  going  to  kill  him,  as  I  had  killed 
Remandji,  Olenda,  and  Mayolo,  and  that  now  his  turn 
had  come.  I  said  to  him, "  We  are  great  friends.  Make 
a  good  speech  to  the  Apono  for  me,  and  I  will  give  you 
such  nice  presents !"     He  promised  to  do  it. 

So  all  the  Mokaba  people  were  called.  Nchiengain 
came  out,  and  made  a  great  speech.  He  said, "  Ivombila 
and  Mokaba  people,  ftt  the  people  who  are  to  go  with 


FRIENDLY  PARTING,  205 

the  Spirit  come  before  ine.'^  They  came  and  seated 
themselves  on  the  ground,  and  I  then  gave  to  each  a  pres- 
ent, or  his  pay  in  goods,  beads,  trinkets.  Then  Nchien- 
gain  said, "  Kombila,  the  Oguizi  was  brought  to  me  by 
Mayolo,  and  before  he  reached  Mayolo's  village  he  pass- 
ed through  many  countries  of  the  black  man.  Xow  I 
leave  him  in  your  hands;  pass  him  to  the  Ishogos. 
Then,  when  you  leave  him  with  the  Ishogos,  tell  them 
they  must  take  him  to  the  Ashongos.  After  you  leave 
him  with  the  Ishogos  your  hands  will  be  cleared,  for  you 
will  have  passed  him  over  your  tribe  and  clans.  I  am 
going ;  I  leave  him  in  your  hands  1"  They  all  sliouted, 
"'  We  will  take  the  Oguizi  to  the  Ishogos !  we  will  start 
the  day  the  Oguizi  washes  to  start !  We  are  men  !  the 
Mokaba  people  are  men !" 

Then  Xchiengain  added, "  Wherever  he  goes,  let  the 
people  give  him  plenty  of  goats,  fowls,  plantains,  and 
game !"  There  was  a  great  shout  of  "  Rovana !" — "  That 
is  so !  that  is  so !"  "  Do  not  be  afraid  of  him,"  shouted 
Nchiengain  ;  "  see  how  well  he  has  treated  us !  At  first 
we  were  afraid  of  him ;  after  a  while  our  fears  ceased, 
lie  will  treat  you  just  the  same.  He  paid  us  when  we 
left  the  village,  and  when  we  leave  he  gi^'es  us  a  parting 
present.  Take  him  away  to-morrow.  Start  for  the  coun- 
try of  the  Isliogos.    Hurry,  for  he  does  not  want  to  tarry." 

Then,  in  the  presence  of  the  people,  he  returned  to  me 
the  brass  kettle  I  had  lent  him  for  cooking  his  food, 
and  the  plate  I  had  given  him,  and  said  to  me,  "Oguizi, 
good-by !  I  have  not  mjyouguiza  (slighted)  you ;  I  go 
because  I  must  go."  As  he  disappeared  behind  the 
palm-trees  he  shouted  again, "  Oguizi,  I  have  not  mpou- 
fjuiza  you!"  I  answered,  "No,  Kchiengain,  I  am  not 
angry  with  you ;  I  am  only  sorry  we  part." 


CHAPTEE  XXI. 

GKEAT   EXCITEMENT   IN    THE  VILLAGE. A  DESERTED    TOWN. 

THE     INHABITANTS    FEIGHTENED    AWAY.  —  AFKAID     OF 

THE    EVIL    EYE. THE   AUTHOR    TAKEN    FOR  AN   ASTROLO- 
GER.  LOST  A3I0NG    THE   PLANTATIONS. 

On  the  morning  of  the  10th  of  June  there  was  great 
excitement  in  the  village  of  Mokaba.  The  Apono,  head- 
ed by  Kombila,  were  ready  to  take  me  to  the  Ishogo 
country.  All  the  porters  wore  the  red  caps  I  had  given 
them,  and  had  put  on  their  necklaces  of  beads.  At  a 
quarter  past  ten  o'clock,  just  as  we  started,  I  ordered 
guns  to  be  fired,  to  the  immense  delight  of  the  Mokaba 
people.  Kombila  gave  the  word  for  departure,  and  one 
by  one  we  took  the  path  leading  to  the  hills  which  lay  di- 
rectly east  of  the  village,  and  soon  afterward  we  were  in 
the  woods,  passing  plantation  after  plantation  that  had 
been  abandoned,  for  they  never  planted  twice  in  the 
same  place.  We  finally  arrived  at  a  plantation  called 
I^javi,  where  thousands  of  plantain-trees  were  in  bearing, 
and  where  sugar-cane  patches  were  abundant.  Fields  of 
pea-nuts  were  also  all  around  ns  soon  afterward.  We 
rested  to  take  a  meal,  and,  as  Njavi  was  situated  on  the 
plateau,  I  had  a  good  view  of  the  country. 

When  we  resumed  our  march  eastward  the  Apono 
were  in  great  glee,  for  they  had  become  accustomed  to 
me.     Kombila  was  filled  with  pride  at  the  idea  that  he 


APONO   AND   ISHOGO   VILLAGE. 


A  VILLAGE  ALAE21El>.  209 

was  going  to  take  the  Spirit  to  the  Ishogo  coiintiy.  The 
men  were  talking  loudly,  and  I  saw  that  there  ^vas  no 
chance  for  killing  game.  The  country  was  splendid. 
The  hills  had  been  getting  higher  and  higher  till  we 
had  reached  Njavi,  but  since  leaving  that  point  we  had 
been  going  down  the  slope.  "We  crossed  a  dry  stream 
with  a  slaty  bottom,  and  soon  afterward  came  to  a  stream 
called  Dougoundo,  the  Apono  porters  walking  as  fast  as 
they  could.  Toward  four  o'clock  we  reached  the  large 
Ishogo  village  of  Igoumbie,  but  found  it  deserted.  The 
few  men  who  saw  us  ran  into  their  houses  and  shut  their 
doors — for  they  had  doors  in  Igoumbie.  The  people  re- 
minded me  of  frightened  chickens  hiding  their  heads  in 
dark  corners.  A  few  men  had  been  so  alarmed  that  they 
had  lost  the  power  of  walking,  and  as  I  passed  did  not  ut- 
ter a  single  word  nor  move  a  step.  "VVe  walked  through 
the  whole  length  of  the  street,  then  got  into  the  woods, 
and  stopped.  Kombila  said  to  me,  "  Let  me,  Spirit,  go 
to  the  village;"  and  he  went  with  a  few  of  his  men. 
Soon  afterward  an  Ishogo  man  came  with  Kombila,  and 
asked  me  to  remain  in  his  village.  "  The  Mokaba  )eople 
are  our  friends,"  he  said ;  '^  they  marry  our  daughters ; 
how  can  we  let  them  pass  without  giving  them  food  ?" 
Eebouka  being  lame  (one  of  my  heavy  brass  kettles  hav- 
ing fallen  on  one  of  his  feet),  I  consented. 

Xow^  I  found  that  I  could  no  more  know  who  was  the 
chief  of  a  village.  Kombila,  I  began  to  suspect,  was  not 
the  chief  of  Mokaba.  The  chiefs  had  a  superstition  that 
if  I  knew  who  they  wxre  I  would  kill  them. 

In  the  Ishogo  village  I  was  among  a  new  people,  and, 
indeed,  their  appearance  was  strange  to  me.  Little  by 
little  they  came  back  to  the  village,  for  the  Mokaba  peo- 


2 1 0  THE  CO  UNTR  Y  OF  THE  D  WARES. 

pie  were  great  friends  of  theirs,  and  they  told  the  Islio- 
gos  not  to  be  afraid.  Many  of  the  villagers,  as  they  had 
to  pass  by  me,  would  put  their  hands  over  their  eyes  so 
as  not  to  see  me.     They  were  afraid. 

I  took  a  walk  through  the  long  street  of  that  strange 
Ishogo  village,  and  counted  one  hundred  and  ninety- 
one  houses.  The  houses  were  much  larger  than  those 
of  many  other  tribes,  and  were  from  twenty  to  twenty- 
two  feet  in  length,  and  from  nine  to  twelve  feet  in  width. 
Each  had  a  door  in  the  middle  from  two  to  two  and  a 
half  feet  in  width,  and  about  three  and  a  half  feet  high. 
The  height  of  the  lower  walls  was  four  and  a  half  feet, 
and  the  distance  to  the  top  of  the  roof  eight  or  nine  feet. 
The  doors  of  the  houses  were  very  tasteful.  Each  own. 
er  seemed  to  vie  with  his  neighbor  in  the  choice  of  the 
prettiest  patterns.  Every  door  was  carved  and  painted 
in  different  colors.  On  the  opposite  page  is  a  represen- 
tation of  some  of  the  patterns,  so  you  may  judge  for 
yourself  of  the  taste  of  the  Ishogos. 

As  I  walked  through  the  village,  1  thought  what  a  great 
Spirit  I  must  have  seemed  to  the  savage  people  of  the  in- 
terior of  Africa.  When  I  passed  the  houses  of  Igoum- 
bi^,  some  of  the  people,  thinking  I  was  not  looking  at 
them  nor  at  their  dwellings,  partially  opened  their  doors 
to  get  a  peep  at  me  ;  but  if  I  happened  to  glance  at  them 
they  immediately  retired,  evidently  believing  that  I  had 
an  "  evil  eye." 

I  remained  a  day  in  the  village  of  Igoumbie  to  make 
friends,  so  that  the  news  might  spread  among  the  Isho- 
gos that  I  was  not  an  evil  spirit ;  but  most  of  them  were 
so  shy  that  when  they  had  to  pass  the  door  of  my  hut 
they  put  their,  hands  up  to  tlie  side  of  their  face  so  tliat 


SUSPECTED  OF  WITCHCRAFT. 


211 


IS^UOGO    HOtSIS,    Willi    OUNVMINTVL    DOOKS, 


they  might  not  see  me.  Yet,  in  spite  of  their  shyness,  I 
made  friends  with  many,  and  gave  them  beads. 

One  night  the  village  was  filled  with  fear.  The  peo- 
ple could  not  understand  my  doings.  They  were  unable 
to  discover  what  I  meant  by  looking  at  the  stars  and  at 
the  moon  with  such  queer-looking  things  as  the  instru- 
ments I  held  in  my  hand,  and  with  dishes  of  quicksilver 
before  me  in  which  the  moon  and  the  stars  were  reflect- 
ed. The  aneroids,  barometers,  thermometers,  boiling  ba- 
rometers, watches,  and  policemen's  lanterns  puzzled  them 
extremely.  They  could  not  see  why  I  should  spend  the 
greater  part  of  the  night  with  all  those  things  around  me. 

I  could  not  afford  to  lose  much  time  in  this  villaire,  for 


2 1 2  THE  CO  UNTR  Y  OF  TEE  D  WARES. 

I  had  been  so  much  detained  before  by  the  plague  and 
other  impediments,  which  have  ah-eady  been  described, 
that  it  became  necessary  for  me  to  go.  I  had  still  to  pass 
through  the  territory  of  tribe  after  tribe ;  the  Congo  Riv- 
er was  far  to  the  eastward  of  us ;  the  sources  of  the  Nile 
were  far  away.  So  I  said  to  Kombila, "  Let  ns  hurry. 
Take  me  to  the  farthest  Ishogo  village  that  yon  can. 
There  we  will  remain  a  little  while,  and  then  I  shall 
know  all  about  the  Ishogos." 

We  left  Igoumbie,  and  once  more  plunged  into  the 
great  forest.  As  I  lost  sight  of  the  village,  I  heard  the 
inhabitants  crying  loudly,  "  The  Spirit  has  gone !  the 
Spirit  has  gone !" 

Suddenly,  toward  midday,  the  Apono  porters  stopped. 
I  saw  that  a  palaver  was  about  to  take  place.  I  ordered 
my  Commi  men  to  be  in  readiness  in  case  of  any  trou- 
ble. Kombila  said, "  S j)irit,  the  people  of  Igoumbie  want- 
ed to  have  you  among  them.  We  said  nhJii  (no).  The 
loads  you  have  are  heavy,  and  my  people  do  not  want  to 
go  farther  unless  you  give  them  more  beads,  for  their 
backs  are  sore." 

I  answered, "  I  have  a  heart  to  feel,  and  eyes  to  see. 
I  intend  to  give  to  each  of  you  a  present  before  we  part. 
Go  ahead."  The  four  elders  or  leaders  of  the  party 
shouted,  "  It  is  so !  it  is  so !"  So  we  continued  our 
march,  and  passed  several  villages,  but  the  people  were 
dumb  with  astonishment  and  fear. 

In  the  country  througli  which  we  were  traveling,  paths 
led  from  village  to  village,  and  when  we  came  to  a  set- 
tlement we  had  to  go  through  the  whole  length  of  it. 
Some  of  the  villages  in  which  the  people  had  heard  of 
my  approach  were  perfectly  deserted.     In  others  the  in- 


CAMPING  OUT. 


213 


habitants  had  hidden  themselves  in  their  liuts,  and  we 
saw  none  of  them. 

Once  we  lost  onr  way,  having  taken  the  wrong  path, 
and,  being  bewildered  among  the  plantations  of  the  na- 
tives, we  had  a  hard  time.  Finally  we  came  to  a  stream 
which  the  men  recognized,  and  ascended  it ;  but  the  day 
was  then  far  advanced,  and  we  concluded  to  build  our 
camp.  We  all  felt  very  tired,  tlie  men  having  sore  feet 
on  account  of  little  ferruginous  pebbles  which  covered 
the  ground.  After  our  fires  had  been  liglited,  and  the 
men  had  smoked  their  pipes,  and  put  the  soles  of  their 
feet  as  near  the  fire  as  they  could  without  burning  them, 
we  began  to  have  a  nice  talk,  and  I  asked  the  Aponos 
many  questions. 


CHAPTEK  XXII. 

FIRST    SIGHT    OF    A    VILLAGE    OF   THE   DWAKFS. A  STRANGE 

AND  INTERESTING    SPECTACLE. AN  ABANDONED  TOWN. 

A    REVERIE    BESIDE  A   STREAM. THE    LEAF,  THE    BUTTER- 
FLY, AND    THE    BIRD. THE    BLESSING    OF    WATER. 

Early  the  next  morning  we  started  again  on  our  jour- 
ney through  the  great  forest,  passing  many  hills  and  sev- 
eral rivulets  with  queer  names.  Suddenly  we  came  upon 
twelve  strange  little  houses  scattered  at  random,  and  I 
stopped  and  asked  Kombila  for  what  use  those  shelters 
were  built.  He  answered,  "  Spirit,  those  are  the  houses 
of  a  small  people  called  Obongos." 

"  What !"  said  I,  thinking  that  I  had  not  understood 
him. 

''  Yes,"  repeated  Kombila, "  the  people  who  live  in  such 
a  shelter  can  talk,  and  they  build  fires." 

"  Kombila,"  I  replied, "  why  do  you  tell  me  a  stoiy  ? 
How  can  people  live  in  such  little  places  ?  These  little 
houses  have  been  built  for  idols.  Look,"  said  I,  "at 
those  little  doors.  Even  a  child  must  crawl  on  the 
ground  to  get  into  them." 

"  No,"  said  Kombila,  "  the  Dwarfs  have  built  them." 

"How  can  that  be?"  I  asked;  "for  where  are  the 
Dwarfs  now?  There  are  no  plantain -trees  around; 
there  are  no  fires,  no  cooking-pots,  no  water-jugs." 

"  Oh,"  said  Kombila, "  those  Obongos  are  strange  peo- 


HOMES  OF  THE  DWARFS.  217 

pie.  Thej  never  stay  long  in  the  same  place.  They  cook 
on  charcoal.  They  drink  with  their  hands,  or  with  large 
leaves." 

"  Then,"  I  answered, "  do  you  mean  to  say  that  we  are 
in  the  country  of  the  Dwarfs  ?" 

"  Yes,"  said  Kombila,  "  we  are  in  the  country  of  the 
Dwarfs.  Tliey  are  scattered  in  the  forest.  Their  little 
villages,  like  the  one  you  see  before  you,  are  far  apart. 
They  are  as  wild  as  the  antelope,  and  roam  in  the  forest 
from  place  to  place.  They  are  like  the  beasts  of  the 
fields.  They  feed  on  the  serpents,  rats  and  mice,  and 
on  the  berries  and  nuts  of  the  forest." 

"  That  can  not  be,"  I  said. 

"  Yes,  Oguizi,  this  is  so,"  replied  the  porters.  "  Look 
for  yourself ;"  and  they  pointed  to  the  huts. 

"  Is  it  possible,"  I  asked  myself, "  that  there  are  people 
so  small  that  they  can  live  in  such  small  buildings  as 
those  before  me  ?" 

How  strange  the  houses  of  the  Dwarfs  seemed !  The 
length  of  each  house  was  about  that  of  a  man,  and  the 
height  was  just  enough  to  keep  the  head  of  a  man  from 
touching  the  roof  when  he  was  seated.  The  materials 
used  in  building  were  the  branches  of  trees  bent  in  the 
form  of  a  bow,  the  ends  put  into  the  ground,  and  the 
middle  branches  being  the  higliest.  The  shape  of  each 
house  was  very  much  like  that  of  an  orange  cut  in  two. 
The  frame-work  was  covered  with  large  leaves,  and  there 
were  little  doors  which  did  not  seem  to  be  more  than 
eighteen  inches  high,  and  about  twelve  or  fifteen  inches 
broad.  Even  the  Dwarfs  must  have  lain  almost  flat  on  the 
ground  in  order  to  pass  through.  When  I  say  door  I  mean 
simply  an  opening,  a  hole  to  go  through.     It  was  only  a 


218  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

tiny  doorway.  But  I  managed  to  get  inside  one  of  these 
strange  little  houses,  and  I  found  there  two  beds,  which 
were  as  curious  as  every  thing  else  about  the  premises. 
Three  or  four  sticks  on  each  side  of  the  hut  were  the 
beds.  Each  bed  was  about  eight  inches,  or,  at  the  most, 
ten  inches  in  width.  One  was  for  the  wife  and  the  oth- 
er for  the  husband.  A  little  piece  of  wood  on  each  bed 
made  the  pillows.  It  was  almost  pitch  dark  inside,  the 
only  light  coming  from  the  opening  or  door.  Between 
the  two  beds  were  the  remains  of  a  lire,  judging  by  the 
ashes  and  the  pieces  of  burnt  wood. 

These  huts  did  really  look  like  the  habitations  of  men 
— the  homes  of  a  race  of  Dwarfs.  But  had  Kombila  told 
me  a  falsehood  ?  Were  not  these  huts  built  for  the  fe- 
tichs  and  idols  ?  It  was  true  the  great  historian  Herod- 
otus had  described  a  nation  of  Dwarfs  as  living  on  the 
head  Avaters  of  the  Nile ;  Homer  had  spoken  of  the  cranes 
and  of  the  land  of  the  Pigmies ;  and  Strabo  thought  that 
certain  little  men  of  Ethiopia  were  the  original  Dwarfs, 
while  Pomponius  Mela  placed  them  far  south,  and,  like 
Homer,  spoke  of  their  fighting  with  cranes ;  but  then 
nobody  had  believed  these  stories.  Could  it  be  possible 
that  I  had  discovered  these  people,  spoken  of  thousands  of 
years  before,  just  as  I  had  come  face  to  face  with  the  go- 
rilla, which  Hanno  had  described  many  centuries  before  ? 

How  excited  I  became  as  I  thought  this  strange  mat- 
ter over  and  over !  Finally,  however,  my  mind  became 
settled,  and  I  said  to  myself, "  JS'o,  these  mean  shelters 
could  never  have  been  built  by  man,  for  the  nshiego- 
mbouve  builds  as  good  a  house.  Kombila  tells  me  a 
story.  These  houses  are  built  for  a  certain  purpose,  and 
he  does  not  want  to  tell  me  the  reason." 


ME- NAMING  A  UlVElt  219 

So  we  left  the  so-called  abaiuloiTed  village  of  the 
Dwarfs,  and  onward  we  traveled  toward  the  east,  and 
soon  came  to  a  river  called  Ogonlon,  on  the  bank  of 
which  was  situated  an  Isliogo  village  of  the  name  of 
Yengue. 

We  entered,  but  the  villagers  received  us  in  profound 
silence.  Kombila  all  the  time  said  to  them, "  Do  not  be 
afraid.  We  have  come  here  as  friends."  At  last  we 
reached  the  ouandja,  and  there  I  seated  myself.  I  could 
not  find  out  who  the  chief  was,  but  the  people  evidently 
knew  the  Mokaba  tribe.  The  old  men,  after  a  while, 
gave  me  a  house  for  myself  and  my  Commi,  while  my 
Aponos  went  to  lodge  with  their  friends.  I  heard  that 
the  chief  had  fled. 

Nothing  important  took  place  that  day.  In  the  even- 
ing, while  in  my  hut,  in  the  midst  of  a  profound  silence, 
I  heard  a  voice  exclaimino^  "  Beware  !  We  have  an  osjui- 
zi  among  us !  Beware  !  There  is  no  monda  (fetich)  to 
prevent  us  from  seeing  him  during  the  day,  but  let  no 
one  try  to  see  him  in  his  house  at  night,  for  whoever  does 
so  is  sure  to  die."  So  no  one  dared  to  come.  After 
hearing  this  speech,  in  order  to  give  the  savages  an  idea 
of  my  great  power,  I  fired  a  gun.  Its  report  filled  the 
people  witli  awe. 

After  resting  in  Yengue  we  made  preparations  to  cross 
the  beautiful  Ogoulou  River,  and  wdien  I  stood  upon  its 
bank  I  said,  "  Ogoulou — such  is  thy  Ishogo  name  ;  but, 
as  I  am  the  first  white  man  who  sees  thy  waters,  I  call 
thee  Eckmiihl,  in  remembrance  of  a  dear  friend  !" 

We  crossed  the  river  in  canoes,  and  then  continued  our 
way,  and  after  about  six  miles'  journeying  came  to  an 
Ishoico  villao-e  called  Mokenoa.     It  was  tlie  last  Ishoojo 


220  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

village  to  which  the  Apono  were  to  take  me.  They  had 
fiillilled  their  mission,  and  had  led  me  toward  the  east 
as  far  as  they  could  go. 

Mokenga  was  a  beautiful  village,  with  a  wide  and 
clean  street ;  but  as  we  walked  through  it  we  saw  that 
the  doors  of  the  houses  were  all  shut,  and  there  was  not 
one  Ishogo  to  be  seen.  K'evertheless,  we  marched  through 
the  village  until  we  came  to  the  ouandja.  A  few  men 
were  tlien  seen  peeping  at  us  from  afar  with  frightened 
looks.  Kombila  called  to  them,  saying, "  How  is  it  that 
when  strangers  come  to  your  village  you  do  not  hasten 
to  salute  them?"  Then  they  recognized  some  of  my 
porters,  and  shouted  back,  "  You  are  right !  you  are 
right !"  Some  of  the  elders  came  to  us,  and  saluted  us 
in  the  Ishogo  fashion — that  is,  by  clapping  the  hands  to- 
gether, and  then  stretching  them  out  again,  showing  the 
palms. 

Kombila  made  a  speech,  and  other  Aponos  also  spoke. 
Kombila  cried  out,  in  his  stentorian  voice, "  If  you  are 
not  pleased,  tell  us,  and  we  will  take  the  Spirit  to  anoth- 
er village  where  the  people  will  be  glad  to  welcome  us." 
Then  the  elders  of  the  village  withdrew  together,  and 
presently  came  back,  saying, "  We  are  pleased^  and  glad- 
ly welcome  the  Oguizi ;"  and  then  huts  were  given  to  us. 

The  Ishogos  have  really  good  large  huts,  many  of 
which  were  adorned  with  roomy  piazzas.  The  forest 
round  the  village  of  Mokenga  was  filled  with  leopards, 
so  that  the  people  could  not  sleep  outside  their  huts  in 
very  warm  weathei",  and  every  goat  was  carefully  guard- 
ed in  order  not  to  become  the  prey  of  those  beasts.  In 
the  centre  of  the  village  were  two  goat-houses,  built  so 
strongly  that  the  leopards  could  not  get  in,  and  every 


A  BIRD  COLONY.  221 

evening  the  goats  were  shut  np.  The  Ishogos  not  only 
have  goats,  but  also  a  small  species  of  poultry,  and  almost 
every  house  has  a  parrot  of  the  gi-ay  variety  with  red  tail. 
Bee-hives  were  also  plentiful. 

ISTot  far  from  the  goat-house  were  found  two  large 
trees  that  were  planted  when  the  village  was  built,  and 
upon  them  were  thousands  of  birds'  nests,  with  myriads 
of  birds,  which  made  a  fearful  noise.  These  birds  lived 
all  the  year  round  in  Mokenga.  I  have  given  you  a  de- 
scription of  their  colony  in  "  Wild  Life  under  the  Equa- 
tor." 

One  morning,  before  the  ]3eople  were  up,  I  took  the 
road  leading  to  the  spring  from  which  the  villagers  got 
their  water,  for  I  wanted  to  see  it.  The  path  led  down 
the  hill,  and  soon  a  charming  sight  met  my  eye.  The 
landscape  was  lovely.  A  rill  of  water,  clear,  cold,  and 
pure,  leaped  from  the  lower  part  of  a  precipitous  hill, 
and,  with  a  fall  of  about  nine  feet,  fell  into  a  crystal  ba- 
sin filled  with  beautiful  pebbles.  From  the  basin  a  riv- 
ulet crawled  along  a  bed  of  small  pebbles  down  to  the 
lower  level,  winding  through  a  most  beautiful  forest. 
The  scene  was  very  beautiful. 

One  day,  when  I  had  seated  myself  below  the  fall,  the 
rays  of  the  sun,  peeping  through  an  opening,  happened 
to  shine  upon  the  water,  and  made  it  look  like  running 
crystal.  Below  the  cascade,  the  bed  of  the  little  stream, 
filled  with  pebbles  of  quartz,  sparkled  as  if  the  pebbles 
had  been  diamonds;  they  might  have  been  taken  for 
gems  while  the  sun  was  shining  upon  them.  Watei'-lil- 
ies,  white  as  snow,  grew  here  and  there,  and  moved  to  and 
fro,  tossed  by  the  water  flowing  toward  the  great  river 
Eembo.     The  water  looked  like  the  water  of  life,  and  so 


222  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

it  was.  I  said  to  mvself, "  When  God  is  good  to  man,  he 
is  good  to  all ;  for  all  kinds  of  living  creatures  come  to 
this  stream,  and  drink  of  the  water  which  is  life  to  them." 

The  gentle  ripple  of  the  stream,  as  it  glided  down, 
sounded  like  music,  and  made  me  think.  I  could  not 
help  it.  My  thoughts  wandered  far  over  the  mountains, 
and  the  lands  I  had  crossed  and  discovered,  and  far  be- 
yond the  sea,  to  the  land  where  the  great  Mississippi 
flows.  I  looked  intently  at  the  water.  Now  and  then 
I  could  see  a  little  pebble  rolling  along ;  then  it  would 
stand  still  for  a  w^hile,  and  again  roll  on,  and  every  roll 
wore  it  away  and  rounded  it.  As  it  kept  rolling  down 
the  stream  day  after  day,  year  after  year,  it  would 
become  daily  less  and  less  in  size.  I  said  to  myself, 
"What  does  keep  still?  Since  the  beginning  of  the 
world,  nothing  has  stood  still ;  every  thing  goes  on  and 
on,  and  will  continue  to  do  so  till  the  end." 

Just  as  I  was  beginning  to  think  deeply  on  the  sub- 
ject, a  leaf  fell  from  a  tree  into  tlie  water,  and  was  car- 
ried away  down  the  stream.  Now  it  would  strand  on 
the  shore,  or  on  some  little  island  which  seemed  to  have 
been  made  for  a  resting-place,  and  then  it  would  be  car- 
ried away  again  by  the  swift  current.  I  wondered  what 
would  be  the  journey  of  that  little  leaf.  Would  it  be 
carried  all  the  way  to  the  sea  ?  Surely  it  could  not  tell, 
neither  could  I  tell  how  long  a  time  it  would  take  to  get 
to  the  sea,  nor  what  would  happen  to  it  during  the  pas- 
sage. Our  life,  I  thought,  is  very  much  like  the  journey 
of  that  little  leaf :  it  knew  not  what  was  before  it,  nor 
do  we  know  what  will  happen  to  us. 

Such  is  life.  From  the  day  we  are  born  we  know  not 
how  we  shall  be  carried  on  by  the  stream  of  life.     We 


RIVER-SID H  RE  VERIES.  2215 

may  strand  on  the  shore,  or  we  may  glide  gently  down 
the  current;  but,  like  this  little  leaf,  on  our  journey  we 
must  meet  with  whirlpools  and  rocky  shores,  rapids  and 
precipices,  and  many  obstacles.  Storms  may  overtake 
us  and  strand  us,  but  tlie  end  of  the  journey  is  sure  to 
come,  and  then  the  great  and  tlie  learned,  the  rich  and 
the  poor,  the  Christian  and  the  heathen,  the  Moslem  and 
the  Jew,  are  sure  to  meet. 

I  followed  the  little  leaf  till  it  disappeared  from  my 
sight  forever.  Another  came  and  followed  it,  and  an- 
other, and  another,  and  they  all  yanished  after  a  while, 
never  to  come  back  to  the  same  spot.  So  it  is  with  man, 
I  thought.  One  disappears  from  sight — Death  has  taken 
him.  Another  comes  and  takes  his  place ;  another  and 
another  follow  each  other,  as  these  leaves  did,  and  all  go 
to  the  same  2:oal — Death. 

I  said  to  myself,  "  I  have  drifted  away  like  one  of 
these  leaves ;  sometimes  tossed  by  the  sea,  sometimes  by 
tlie  wind,  going  to  and  fro,  carried  down  the  journey  of 
life,  meeting  storms  and  breakers.  I  can  not  tell  where 
I  shall  drift,  for  no  man  can  tell  what  the  future  has  in 
store  for  him.  .  God  alone  knows  whither  the  little  leaf 
and  I  are  drifting." 

As  I  continued  my  reverie,  thinking  of  life  and  its 
mysteries,  and  of  the  future,  a  beautiful  butterfly  made 
its  appearance.  Its  colors  were  brilliant — red  and  white, 
blue  and  gold.  It  went  from  lily  to  lily,  caring  appar- 
ently for  nothing  but  the  sweets  of  life.  I  could  not  help 
saying  to  myself,  "How  many  are  like  this  little  butterfly ! 
but  how  little  we  know,  for  I  am  sure  this  butterfly  has 
its  troubles,  and  so  have  those  who  have  made  the  world 
and  its  pleasures  the  flowers  upon  which  they  live." 

K2 


224  THE  CO  UKTU  Y  OF  THE  D  WAIiFS. 

Tlie  butterfly  had  hardly  disappeared  from  sight  when 
a  bird  came — what  a  sweet  httle  bird !  I  see  it  still  by 
that  little  stream  of  Mokeiiga,  though  years  have  passed 
away.  Down  the  tree  he  came  fluttering  from  branch  to 
branch,  looking  at  the  water,  calling  for  his  mate,  as  if  to 
say, "  I  have  found  water ;  come  and  let  us  drink  togeth- 
er ;"  but  the  absent  one  did  not  come.  Soon  afterward 
tlie  bird  was  on  the  shore,  its  little  feet  leaving  prints 
upon  the  sand.  It  came  to  one  spot  and  stopped,  gave  a 
warble  of  joy,  then  drank,  and  between  each  sip  sang,  as 
if  to  tell  how  happy  he  was,  and  to  thank  God  for  that 
beautiful  water.  After  drinking,  it  spread  its  wings  and 
bathed  its  little  body  in  the  spring  of  Mokenga,  then 
flew  away,  hid  in  the  thick  leaves  out  of  my  sight,  and 
for  a  wliile  I  heard  it  singing. 

"  How  grateful  you  seemed  to  be,  little  birdie,  to  that 
God  who  gave  you  this  nice  water  to  drink!"  I  said; 
"  but,  tliough  you  are  happy  just  now,  I  know  that  you 
have  your  sorrows  and  troubles,'^  like  every  creature 
which  God  has  made,  from  man  down  to  the  smallest  in- 
sect." 

After  the  little  bird  had  gone  I  went  to  the  spot  where 
it  had  drank,  l^othing  could  be  seen  but  its  footprints, 
and  even  these  would  remain  but  a  short  time,  and  after 
a  while  no  one  would  ever  know  w^liere  its  feet  had  been. 
So  it  is  with  the  footprints  of  man — who  can  tell  where 
they  come  upon  the  highways  ? 

Kot  far  from  wliere  I  stood  the  stream  was  deeper. 
The  little  pebbles  looked  so  pretty,  the  water  so  clear,  so 
pure,  and  so  cool,  tliat  I  could  not  withstand  the  tempta- 

*  See  chapter  on  "The  Sorrows  of  Birds,"  in  "Wild  Life  under  the 
Equator." 


THANK  OOD  FOR  WATER.  225 

tioii,  and,  like  the  little  bird,  I  drank,  and  thought  there 
was  not  a  beverage  that  ever  was  so  good,  for  God  had 
made  it  for  man  and  for  his  creatures.  Many  times,  in 
tliese  grand  and  beautiful  regions  of  Equatorial  Africa, 
I  have  exclaimed,  on  beholding  the  beautiful  water  which 
abounds  every  where,  and  after  I  had  quenched  my  thirst, 
"  There  is  nothing  so  good  and  so  harmless  as  the  water 
that  God  created  T' 


^IS^Sc) 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

GEOTESQUE   IIEAD-DEESSES. CUKIODS    FASHIONS    IN   TEETH. 

A    VENERABLE     GKANITE    BOULDER.  —  INTERIOR     OF    A 

HUT. A    WARLIKE    RACE    OF    SAVAGES. GIVING    THEM 

AN   ELECTRIC    SHOCK. 

IIow  strange  were  those  Isliogos !  They  were  unlike 
all  the  other  savages  I  met.  What  a  queer  way  to  ar- 
range their  hair !  It  requires  from  twenty-five  to  tliirty 
years  for  an  Ishogo  woman  to  be  able  to  build  upon  her 
head  one  of  their  grotesque  head-dresses.  The  accompa- 
nying pictures  will  show  you  how  they  look.  But  you 
will  ask  how  they  can  arrange  liair  in  such  a  manner.  I 
will  tell  you :  A  frame  is  made,  and  the  hair  is  worked 
upon  it;  Ijut  if  there  is  no  frame,  then  tliey  use  grass- 
cloth,  or  any  other  stuffing,  and  give  the  shape  they  wisli 
to  the  head-dress.  A  well-known  hair-dresser,  who,  by 
the  way,  is  alvi^ays  a  female,  is  a  great  person  in  an  Ishogo 
village,  and  is  kept  pretty  busy  from  morning  till  after- 
noon. It  takes  much  time  to  work  up  the  long  wool  on 
these  negroes'  heads,  but,  when  one  of  these  heads  of  hair, 
or  chignons^  is  made,  it  lasts  for  a  long  time — sometimes 
for  two  or  three  months — without  requiring  repair.  I 
need  not  tell  you  that  after  a  few  weeks  the  head  gets 
filled  with  specimens  of  natural  history.  The  Ishogo 
women  use  a  queer  comb :  it  is  like  a  sharp-pointed  nee- 
dle from  one  to  eighteen  inches  in  length,  and,  when  the 
insects  bite,  the  point  is  applied  with  vigor. 


jimji'' 


!illiiillilil||i 


PKCULIAHniES  OF  DUESS.  220 

A  great  qnaiitity  of  palm  oil  is  used  in  dressing  the 
hair,  and,  as  the  natives  never  wash  their  heads,  the  odor 
is  not  pleasant.  When  a  woman  comes  out  with  a  newl}^- 
made  chignon^  the  little  Ishogo  girls  exclaim,  "When 
shall  I  be  old  enough  to  wear  one  of  these  ?  How  beau- 
tiful they  are !" 

Every  morning,  instead  of  taking  a  bath,  the  Ishogos 
rub  themselves  with  oil,  mixed  with  a  red  dve  made  from 
the  wood  of  a  forest  tree. 

All  the  people  have  their  two  upper  middle  incisor 
teeth  taken  out,  with  the  two  middle  lower  ones,  and 
often  the  four  upper  incisors  are  all  extracted.  They 
think  they  look  handsome  without  front  teeth.  Their 
bodies  are  all  tattooed.  Their  eyebrows  are  shaved  at 
intervals  of  a  few  days,  and  their  eyelashes  are  also 
pulled  OLit  from  time  to  time. 

Many  who  can  afford  it  wear  round  the  neck  a  loose 
ring  of  iron  of  the  size  of  a  finger,  and  if  they  are  rich 
they  wear  on  their  ankles  and  wn-ists  three  or  four  loose 
iron  or  copper  rings,  w^ith  which  they  make  music  when 
they  dance.  Xot  an  Ishogo  woman  has  her  ears  piei-ced 
for  ear-rings.  This  is  extraordinary,  for  all  savages  seem 
fond  of  ear-rings. 

The  days  passed  pleasantly  while  I  was  in  the  village 
of  Mokenga.  I  loved  the  villagers,  and,  besides,  the 
country  was  beautiful.  The  mountains  were  lovely  ;  the 
streams  of  clear  water  were  abundant;  around  the  vil- 
lage were  immense  groves  of  plantain-trees,  in  the  midst 
of  which,  giant-like,  rose  gracefully  a  great  number  of 
palm-trees ;  the  lime-trees  were  covered  with  ripe  yellow 
limes  ;  wild  Cayenne  pepper  grew  every  w^here  ;  and  back 
of  all  stood  the  great  tall  trees  of  the  forest,  with  their 


230  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  BWAUFS. 

dai-k  foliage,  and  with  creepers  hanging  down  from  tlieir 
branches,  while  underneath  the  trees  was  the  thick  jun- 
gle, into  which  man  could  hardly  penetrate.  All  was  ro- 
mantic and  wonderful. 

Xot  far  from  the  village  stood  a  very  large  solitary 
boulder  of  granite.  How  did  it  come  there  ?  The  peo- 
ple looked  at  the  huge  stone  with  veneration.  They  said 
a  spirit  brought  it  there  long,  long  ago.  This  boulder 
stood  by  the  path  leading  to  the  spring  which  supplied 
the  villagers  with  drinking  water,  and  the  women  of  the 
village  were  constantly  going  with  their  calabashes  to  get 
the  cool  water.  When  I  ascended  the  hill  in  returning 
from  my  walks,  I  was  fond  of  stopping  to  rest  upon  this 
boulder,  and  it  was  a  perpetual  wonder  to  me. 

But  one  day  there  was  a  great  excitement  in  Moken- 
ga.  The  people  would  go  toward  the  boulder,  and  then 
come  back  with  a  frightened  aspect,  and  look  toward 
my  hut  apparently  in  great  fear.  Indeed,  they  were  so 
alarmed  that  they  fled  from  me  when  I  looked  at  them. 
The  Oguizi,  they  said,  had  got  up  from  his  slumber  dur- 
ing the  night,  and  had  gone  to  the  boulder,  and  taken  it 
upon  his  shoulders  and  moved  it  away;  for  all  said  it 
was  not  in  the  same  place  that  it  had  formerly  occupied. 
"  How  strong  is  the  Oguizi !"  they  said ;  "  he  can  move 
mountains !"  During  the  day  they  came,  covered  with 
the  chalk  of  the  alumbi,  and  danced  around  my  hut 
while  I  was  in  the  forest,  shouting, "  Great  Oguizi,  do 
not  be  angrj^  with  us !" 

The  hut  which  the  Mokenga  people  gave  me  was  quite 
a  sight.  The  furniture  of  an  Ishogo  house  is  unique,  and 
I  am  going  to  give  you  an  inside  view  of  it. 

My  own  house  was  twenty-one  feet  long  and  eight 


INSIDE  OF  A  HUT. 


231 


feet  wide.  In  tlic  middle  there  was  a  door,  with  twelve 
carved  round  spots,  painted  black  ;  the  outside  ring  was 
painted  white,  and  the  background  was  red.  The  door 
was  twenty-seven  inches  in  height.  The  house  had  three 
rooms,  and  from  the  roof  were  suspended  great  numbers 
of  baskets  and  dishes  of  wicker-work,  made  from  a  kind 
of  wild  Totancj.  Baskets  and  dishes  constitute  a  part  of 
the  wealth  of  an  Isliogo  household,  and  great  numbere 
of  them  are  given  to  the  girls  when  they  marry.  Hung 
to  the  roof  were  also  large  quantities  of  calaljashes  which 
had  been  hardened  by  the  smoke.  A  large  cake  of  to- 
bacco had  also  been  hung  up,  and  all  around  were  earth- 
en-ware pots  and  jars,  used  for  cooking  purposes,  with 


AlIilCVN    <  Oil,  CUlCKi.N,   1   VlvUUl,     \.M)    lUOL,, 


232  THE  CO  UXTR  Y  OF  THE  D  WARFS. 

cotton  bag^several  looms,  spears,  bows,  arrows,  battle- 
axes,  and  mats. 

The  Isliogos  and  I  gradually  became  very  friendly. 
We  had  many  nice  talks  together,  and  I  heard  strange 
tales,  and  more  stories  about  the  Dwarfs. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  Ishogos, "  but  a  little  while  ago  there 
was  a  settlement  of  the  Dwarfs  not  far  from  Mokenga, 
but  they  have  moved,  for  they  are  like  the  antelope ;  they 
never  stay  long  at  the  same  place." 

"  You  are  in  the  country  of  the  Dwarfs,  Oguizi,"  they 
continued  ;  '^  their  villages  are  scattered  in  our  great  for- 
est, wdiere  they  move  from  place  to  place,  and  none  of  us 
know  where  they  go  after  they  leave." 

An  Ashano-o  man  was  in  Mokeno^a  on  a  visit  while  I 
staid  there.  An  Ishogo  had  married  his  daughter.  He, 
too,  said  that  there  were  many  settlements  of  Dwarfs  in 
his  country,  and  he  promised  that  I  should  see  them  when 
I  went  there.  The  name  of  his  village  is  Xiembouai, 
and  he  said  he  should  tell  his  people  that  we  were  com- 
ing ;  for  the  Ishogos  were  to  take  me  there,  and  leave 
me  in  the  hands  of  the  Ashangos,  who,  in  their  turn, 
were  to  take  me,  as  tlie  Ishogos  often  say,  where  my 
heart  led  me. 

After  a  very  pleasant  time  in  Mokenga,  we  left  that 
place  for  the  Ashango  country,  inhabited  by  the  new 
people  who  were  said  by  the  Ishogos  to  speak  the  same 
language  as  the  Aponos.  The  villagers  had  begun  to 
love  me,  for  I  had  given  them  many  things ;  having  too 
much  luggage,  I  was  rather  generous  with  them,  and  had 
given  the  women  great  quantities  of  beads.  Tliere  was 
great  excitement  in  Mokenga  before  Ave  left,  and,  as  my 
Ishogo  porters,  headed  by  Mokounga,  took  up  their  loads, 
the  people  were  wild  witli  agitation. 


A  WAliLlKE  JiACE.  233 

During  the  day  we  crossed  a  mountain  ftalled  Migonia, 
and  saw  Mount  Njiangala.  From  Migoma  I  could  see 
tlie  country  all  around.  As  far  as  my  eye  could  reach  I 
saw  nothing  but  mountains  covered  with  trees.  "  There," 
said  the  Ishogos  to  me,  "live  gorillas,  chimpanzees, 
Dwarfs,  elephants,  and  all  kinds  of  wild  beasts." 

The  ti-aveling  was  hard,  but  on  we  went,  still  toward 
the  east,  and  before  dark  of  the  first  day  we  came  to  a 
mountain  called  Mouida.  At  its  base  was  a  beautiful 
stream  called  Mabomina.  We  encamped  for  the  night, 
all  feeling  very  tired.  We  had  to  keep  watch  carefully 
over  our  fires,  for  leopards  were  plentiful.  The  next 
morning  we  started,  glad  to  get  out  of  the  haunts  of  these 
animals,  which  had  been  prowling  around  our  camp  all 
night. 

After  some  severe  traveling  we  arrived  at  the  bank  of 
a  river  called  Odiganga.  After  crossing  the  stream  we 
came  upon  a  new  tribe  of  wild  Africans  called  the  Aslian- 
gos.  There  was  a  scream  of  fear  among  them  when  I 
made  my  appearance;  but  the  Ishogos  cried  out,"Ashan- 
go,  do  not  be  afraid  ;  we  are  with  the  Oguizi."  I  could 
see  at  a  glance  that  the  x\shangos  were  a  warlike  race. 
The  village  was  called  Magonga,  meaning  "spear." 
Back  of  it  was  a  mountain,  towering  high  in  the  air, 
called  Madombo.  We  spent  the  night  in  the  village, 
and  after  leaving  it  we  had  an  awful  task  in  ascending 
Mount  Madombo.  The  path  was  so  steep  that  we  had 
to  aid  ourselves  by  using  the  bushes  and  creepers  hang- 
ing from  the  trees.  It  was  all  we  could  do  to  succeed. 
I  would  not  have  liked  any  fighting  at  tliat  spot. 

On  our  journey  we  found  that  these  wild  Ashangos 
were  very  numerous  in  these  mountains.     Tillage  after 


234  THE  CO  UNTR  Y  OF  THE  D  WARES. 

village  was  passed  by  us  in  the  midst  of  a  profound  si- 
lence, sometimes  broken  by  the  people  who  had  heard  of 
our  approach,  and  were  hiding  themselves  in  their  huts. 
At  other  times,  after  we  had  passed,  they  w^ould  shout, 
"  The  Oguizi  has  black  feet  and  a  white  face !"  (The}^ 
thought  my  boots  were  my  o^vn  skin.)  "  He  has  no  toes  ! 
What  queer  feet  the  Oguizi  has !" 

My  seven  Com  mi  were  perfectly  delighted  with  their 
journey ;  our  misfortunes  were  forgotten. 

After  a  long  journey  over  the  mountains  and  through 
a  wild  region,  we  came  at  last  to  the  village  of  Kiem- 
bouai.  I  was  glad  to  reach  it,  for  there  seemed  to  be  no 
dry  season  in  that  part  of  the  world.  It  rains  all  the 
year  round.  The  people,  though  shy,  did  not  run  away, 
but  were  very  difficult  of  approach.  Our  Ashango  friend, 
whom  we  had  met  at  Mokenga,  had  done  his  best  to  allay 
their  fears,  and  he  and  a  deputation  of  the  Niembouai 
had  come  to  Magonga  to  meet  us,  and  to  take  us  to  their 
own  country.  So  every  thing  was  ready  for  my  recep- 
tion. When  I  reached  Niembouai  the  best  house  of  the 
village  was  given  to  me.  It  belonged  to  the  elder  avIio 
had  seen  me  at  Mokenga,  and  Avho  claimed  the  right  to 
have  me  as  his  guest. 

The  next  day  after  my  arrival  the  supposed  chief  came. 
I  had  no  way  of  knowing  if  he  was  the  true  chief.  A 
grand  palaver  was  held,  and  I  gave  presents  of  beads, 
trinkets,  etc.,  to  him  and  to  forty- three  elders,  and  to  the 
queen  and  other  women.  After  the  presents  had  been 
given  I  thought  I  would  show  them  my  power,  and  or- 
dered guns  to  be  fired.  This  filled  them  with  fear.  "  He 
holds  the  thunder  in  his  hand !"  they  said.  "  Oh,  look  at 
the  irreat  O^ruizi !  look  at  his  feet !  look  at  his  hair !  look 


ELECTRIFYING   THE  NATIVES.  9.37 

at  his   nose !     Look   at  him !     "Who   "would  ever  have 
thought  of  such  a  kind  of  oguizi,  for  he  is  so  unlike  oth- 


er oo'uizis?" 


After  the  excitement  was  over  I  told  the  Ashangos  to 
keep  still.  I  then  went  into  my  hut  and  brought  out  a 
Geneva  musical  box  of  large  size,  and  when  I  touched 
the  spring  it  began  to  play.  I  moved  off.  A  dead  si- 
lence prevailed.  By  instinct  the  Ashangos  moved  off 
too,  and  a  circle  was  formed  by  them  around  the  box. 
They  all  listened  to  ''  the  spirit,"  to  "  the  devil  that  was 
inside  of  that  box"  talking  to  me.  Fear  had  seized  upon 
them.  I  walked  away.  They  stood  like  statues,  not  dar- 
ing to  move  a  step.     They  were  spell-bound. 

After  a  few  moments  I  took  the  box  back  into  my  hut, 
and  brought  out  a  powerful  electric  battery.  Then  I  or- 
dered the  forty-three  elders  and  the  king  to  come  and 
stand  in  a  line.  They  came,  but  were  evidently  awed. 
The  people  dared  not  say  a  word.  Every  thing  being 
ready,  I  told  them  to  hold  the  ninety  feet  of  conducting 
wire.     "Hold  hard!"  I  cried. 

The  people  looked  at  the  old  men  with  wonder,  and 
could  not  understand  how  they  dared  to  hold  that  charmed 
string  of  the  Oguizi.  The  Ishogos,  my  guides,  were  them- 
selves bewildered,  for  they  had  not  seen  this  thing  in  their 
village.  My  Commi  men  did  not  utter  a  word,  but  their 
faces  were  as  long  as  if  they  never  had  seen  any  thing. 

"  Hold  on  !"  I  repeated ;  "  do  not  let  the  string  go  out 
of  your  hands."  I  then  gave  a  powerful  continuous 
shock.  The  arms  of  the  elders  twisted  backward  against 
their  will,  and  their  bodies  bent  over ;  but  they  still  held 
the  wire,  which,  indeed,  now  they  had  not  the  power  to 
drop.     Their  mouths  were  wide  open  ;  their  bodies  trem- 


238  THE  CO  UNTE  Y  OF  THE  D WARES. 

bled  from  the  continuous  electric  shock ;  they  looked  at 
me  and  cried  "  Oh  !  oh  !  oh !  Yo  !  yo  !  yo  !"  I  had  re- 
ally given  a  too  powerf  id  shock.     Tlie  people  fled. 

In  an  instant  all  was  over.  I  stopped  the  current  of 
electricity.  The  wire  fell  from  the  elders'  hands,  and 
they  looked  at  me  in  perfect  bewilderment.  The  peoj)le 
came  back.  The  elders  explained  their  electric  sensa- 
tion, and  then  a  wild  hurra  and  a  shout  went  up.  "  There 
is  not  another  great  oguizi  like  the  one  in  our  village," 
was  the  general  exclamation ;  and  they  came  and  danced 
around  me,  and  sang  mbuiti  songs,  bending  their  bodies 
low,  and  looking  at  me  in  the  face  as  if  I  had  been  one 
of  their  idols.  "  Great  Oguizi,  do  not  be  angry  with  us," 
they  cried  repeatedly. 

"  Don't  be  afraid,  Ashangos,"  I  said.  I  then  ordered 
my  men  to  fire  their  guns  again,  and,  to  add  to  the  noise, 
our  dogs  began  to  bark ;  so  that,  with  tlie  barking,  the 
shouting,  the  firing,  and  the  beating  of  drums  by  the  na- 
ti^•es,  Xiembouai  was  very  lively  for  a  few  minutes. 

"  Come  again !"  shouted  the  Ishogos.  "  The  Oguizi  we 
brought  to  you  has  more  things  to  show  you."  Then  I 
came  out  with  a  powerful  magnet,  which  held  many  of 
the  implements  of  iron  used  by  the  Ashangos.  Up  and 
down  went  the  knives ;  the  magnet  sometimes  held  them 
by  the  end,  sometimes  by  the  blade.  The  people  were 
so  afraid  of  the  magnet  that  not  one  of  them  dared  to 
touch  it  when  I  asked  them  to  do  so. 

That  night  I  hung  a  large  cloolv  under  the  piazza,  and 
the  noise  it  made  frightened  the  Ashangos  very  much. 

My  power  was  established.  Tlie  electric  battery  had 
been  efi^ective.  How  droll  the  sight  was  when  they  re- 
ceived the  shock !  You  would  have  laughed  heartily  if 
you  could  have  seen  them. 


CHAPTEE  XXIY. 

VISIT    TO    A   VILLxiGE     OF    THE    DWARFS. WALK    THEOrOH 

THE    PRIMEVAL    FOREST. AN   ANCIENT  ACCOUNT   OF    THIS 

STRANGE   RACE. A    GREAT    ASHANGO   DANCE. A   WATCn 

AND     A     TREMENDOUS      SNEEZE. FIRST     VIEW     OF     THE 

DWARFS. QUEER    SPECIMENS    OF    HUMANITY. 

The  day  after  I  had  done  before  the  Ashangos  the 
wonderful  things  I  have  described  to  you,  as  I  was  seat- 
ed under  the  veranda  of  the  king  with  Mokounga  and  a 
few  Ashango  elders,  I  began  to  talk  of  the  country,  and 
I  said  to  them, "  People  say  tliat  there  are  Dwarfs  living 
in  the  forest.  Is  it  so,  Ashangos  ?  How  far  are  they 
from  Niembouai?"  "At  no  great  distance  from  this 
spot,"  said  the  chief, "  there  is  a  village  of  them ;  but, 
Oguizi,  if  you  want  to  see  them  you  must  not  go  to  them 
with  a  large  number  of  attendants.  You  must  go  in  a 
small  party.  Take  one  of  your  Commi  men,  and  I  will 
give  you  my  nephew,  who  knows  the  Dwarfs,  to  go  with 
you.  You  must  walk  as  cautiously  as  possible  in  the  for- 
est, for  those  Dwarfs  are  like  antelopes  and  gazelles ; 
they  are  shy  and  easily  frightened.  To  see  them  you 
must  take  them  by  surprise.  No  entreaty  of  ours  could 
induce  them  to  stay  in  their  settlements  if  they  knew  you 
were  coming.  If  you  are  careful,  to-morrow  we  sliall 
see  them,  for  as  sure  as  I  live  there  are  Dwarfs  in  the 
forest,  and  tliey  are  called  Obongos." 

L 


240  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

Early  the  next  morning  the  Ashango  chief  called  one 
of  his  nephews  and  another  Ashango,  and  ordered  them 
to  show  me  the  way  to  the  country  of  the  Dwarfs.  So 
we  got  ready  to  start,  I  taking  three  of  my  Commi  men 
with  me — Rebouka,  Igalo,  and  Macondai.  I  had  put  on 
a  pair  of  light  India-rubber  boots  in  order  not  to  make 
any  noise  in  the  forest.  Before  leaving  I  gave  a  large 
bunch  of  beads  to  one  of  the  Ashango  men,  and  told  him 
as  soon  as  we  made  our  appearance  in  the  village  to 
shout,  "  Obongos,  do  not  run  away.  Look  here  at  the 
beads  which  the  Spirit  brings  to  you.  The  Spirit  is 
your  friend;  do  not  be  afraid;  he  comes  only  to  see 
you." 

After  leaving  Niembouai  we  walked  through  the  forest 
in  the  most  cautious  manner,  and  as  we  approached  the 
settlement  the  Ashango  man  who  was  in  the  lead  turned 
his  head  toward  us,  put  a  finger  on  his  lips  for  us  to  be 
silent,  and  made  a  sign  for  us  to  walk  very  carefully,  and 
we  advanced  with  more  circumspection  than  ever.  Aft- 
er a  while  we  came  to  the  settlement  of  the  Dwarfs. 
Over  a  small  area  the  undergrowth  had  been  partially 
cut  away,  and  there  stood  twelve  queer  little  houses, 
which  were  the  habitations  of  these  strange  people,  but 
not  a  Dwarf  was  to  be  seen.  They  had  all  gone.  "  ]^o- 
body  here,"  shouted  the  Ashangos,  and  the  echo  of  their 
voices  alone  disturbed  the  stillness  of  the  forest.  I  looked 
around  at  this  strange  little  settlement  of  living  Dwarfs. 
There  was  no  mistake  about  it.  The  fires  w^ere  lighted, 
the  smoke  ascended  fi-om  the  interior  of  their  little  shel- 
ters ;  on  a  bed  of  charcoal  embers  there  was  a  piece  of 
snake  roasting ;  before  another  were  two  rats  cooking ; 
on  the  ground  there  were  several  baskets  of  nuts,  and 


THE  HOMES  OF  THE  DWARFS.  241 

one  of  berries,  with  some  large  wild  fruits  that  had  been 
gathered  by  the  Dwarfs  in  the  woods;  while  near  by 
stood  several  calabashes  filled  with  w^ater,  and  some  bun- 
dles of  dried  fish. 

There  was,  indeed,  no  mistake :  the  huts  I  had  seen  on 
my  way  to  Niembouai  were  the  same  as  these,  and  liad 
been  made  surely  by  the  same  race  of  Dwarfs.  The 
Ishogos  had  told  me  no  idle  stories.  I  wish  you  could 
have  seen  the  faces  of  Rebouka,  Igalo,  and  Macondai. 
"  Oh !  oh !  oh !"  they  exclaimed.  "  Chally,  what  are  we 
not  going  to  see  in  the  wild  countries  you  bring  us  to  ? 
These  people  must  be  niamas  (beasts) ;  for,  look,"  said 
they,  pointing  to  their  huts, "  the  shelters  of  the  nshiego- 
mbouve  are  quite  as  good." 

I  lingered  a  long  while  in  the  hope  that  the  Dwarfs 
would  return,  but  they  did  not.  We  called  for  them, 
but  our  voices  were  lost;  we  followed  some  of  their 
tracks,  but  it  was  of  no  use.  "  You  can  not  overtake 
them,"  said  the  Ashangos, "  for  they  can  run  through  the 
jungle  as  fast  as  the  gazelle  and  as  silently  as  a  snake, 
and  they  are  far  off  now.  They  are  afraid  of  you."  Be- 
fore lea^dng  their  settlement  I  hung  on  the  lower  branch- 
es of  trees  surrounding  their  village  strings  of  beads  of 
bright  colors  which  I  carried  with  me  in  my  hunting-bag, 
for  I  always  had  some  ready  to  give  away  whenever  1 
wanted  to  do  so.  I  had  red,  white,  and  yellow  beads  with 
me  that  day,  and  the  trees  looked  gay  w^ith  these  strings 
hanging  from  them.  We  had  taken  goat-meat  for  the 
Dwarfs,  and  I  hung  up  three  legs  of  goats  also,  and  sev- 
eral plantains,  and  I  put  a  little  salt  on  a  leaf  near  a  hut, 
and  we  departed.  So  I  hoped  that  the  dwarfs,  seeing 
what  we  had  left  behind  us,  would  become  emboldened, 


242  ^^^  GO  UNTB  Y  OF  THE  D  WARFS. 

and  see  that  we  did  not  desire  to  do  them  harm,  and  that 
the  next  time  they  would  not  be  afraid  of  us. 

I  was  pleased  to  perceive  on  our  arrival  in  the  evening 
at  IS^iembouai  that  the  Ashangos  seemed  glad  to  see  us 
again,  though  the  chief  was  quite  disappointed  that  w^e 
had  not  seen  the  little  Obongos. 

That  evening  the  Ashangos  clustered  around  me,  and 
wanted  me  to  talk  to  them,  not  in  their  o^vn  language, 
but  in  the  language  of  the  oguizis  (spirits).  So  I  talked 
to  them,  and  their  wonder  was  great,  and  I  read  to  them 
from  a  book,  all  of  them  listening  the  while  with  their 
mouths  wide  open.  Then  I  took  my  journal,  and  read 
to  them  aloud  in  English,  and  after  reading  the  part 
which  related  to  what  I  had  done  in  the  Ishogo  village 
of  Mokenga,  I  translated  it  to  them,  to  the  great  delight 
of  the  Ishogos.  The  part  I  read  related  to  my  arrival  in 
Mokenga ;  how  the  people  were  afraid  of  me,  and  what 
warm  friends  we  became,  and  how  the  villagers  said  I 
had  moved  the  big  boulder  of  granite.  At  this  there 
was  a  tremendous  shout.  Then  I  said,  "  Ashangos,  the 
oguizis  do  not  forget  any  thing.  What  I  write  will  al- 
ways be  remembered.  N"ow  I  will  read  you  something 
we  have  from  an  oguizi  who  wrote  about  Dwarfs.  The 
name  of  that  oguizi  was  Herodotus."  "And  yours," 
shouted  the  Ishogos, "  is  Chally  !" 

"  That  oguizi,  Herodotus,"  I  continued,  "  wrote  about 
what  he  heard  and  what  he  saw,  just  as  I  do.  Long,  long 
ago,  before  any  tree  of  the  forest  round  you  had  come  out 
of  the  ground"  (I  could  not  count  in  their  language,  and 
say  about  2300  years  ago), "  that  oguizi,  Herodotus,  trav- 
eled just  as  I  am  traveling  to-day" — ''Oh  !  oh  .^"  shouted 
the  Ashangos.     "  Mamo !  mamo  !"  shouted  the  Ishogos. 


THE  DWARFS  OF  OLDEN  TIME.  243 

"  Listen !  listen !"  said  my  Commi  men  in  Englisli,  for 
they  all  now  could  talk  a  little  English — "  and  he  writes  : 
"  *  I  did  hear,  indeed,  what  I  will  now  relate,  from  cer- 
tain natives  of  Cyrene.  Once  upon  a  time,  when  they 
were  on  a  visit  to  the  oracular  shrine  of  Ammon,  when 
it  chanced  in  the  course  of  conversation  with  Etearchus, 
the  Ammonian  king,  the  talk  fell  upon  the  Nile — how 
that  its  source  was  unknown  to  all  men.  Etearchus, 
upon  this,  mentioned  that  some  Nasamonians  had  come 
to  his  court,  and,  when  asked  if  they  could  give  any  in- 
formation concerning  the  uninhabited  parts  of  Libya,  had 
told  the  following  tale  (the  Nasamonians  are  a  Libyan 
race  who  occupy  the  Syrtes  and  a  tract  of  no  great  size 
toward  the  east).  They  said  there  had  grown  up  among 
them  some  wild  young  men,  the  sons  of  certain  chiefs, 
who,  when  they  came  to  man's  estate,  indulged  in  all 
manners  of  extravagances,  and,  among  other  things, 
drew  lots  for  five  of  their  number  to  go  and  explore  the 
desert  parts  of  Libya,  and  try  if  they  could  not  penetrate 
farther  than  any  had  done  previously.  (The  coast  of  Lib- 
ya, along  the  sea,  which  washes  it  to  the  north  through- 
out its  entire  length  from  Egypt  to  Cape  Soloeis,  which 
is  its  farthest  point,  is  inhabited  b}^  Libyans  of  many  dis- 
tinct tribes,  who  possess  the  whole  tract  except  certain  por- 
tions which  belong  to  the  Phoenicians  and  the  Greeks.) 
Above  the  coast-line  and  the  country  inhabited  by  the 
maritime  tribes,  Libya  is  full  of  wild  beasts,  while  beyond 
the  wild-beast  region  there  is  a  tract  which  is  wholly  sand 
and  very  scant  of  water,  and  utterly  and  entirely  a  desert. 
The  young  men,  therefore,  dispatched  on  this  errand  by 
their  comrades,  with  a  plentiful  supply  of  water  and  pro- 
visions, traveled  at  first  through  the  inhabited  region,  pass- 


244  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

iiig  which  they  came  to  the  wild-beast  tract,  whence  they 
finally  entered  upon  the  desert,  which  they  proceeded  to 
cross  in  a  direction  from  east  to  west.  After  journeying 
for  many  days  over  a  wide  extent  of  land,  they  came  at 
last  to  a  plain  where  they  observed  trees  growing :  ap- 
proaching them  and  seeing  fruit  on  them,  they  proceeded 
to  gather  it ;  while  they  were  thus  engaged  there  came 
upon  them  some  dwarfish  men  tender  the  middle  height, 
who  seized  them  and  carried  them  off.  The  Xasamoui- 
ans  did  not  understand  a  word  of  their  language,  nor  had 
they  any  acquaintance  with  the  language  of  the  Nasamo- 
nians.  They  were  carried  across  extensive  marshes,  and 
finally  came  to  a  city  in  which  all  the  men  were  of  the 
height  of  their  conductors,  and  dark  complexioned.  A 
great  river  flowed  by  the  city,  running  from  west  to  east, 
and  containing  crocodiles.  Etearchus  conjectured  this 
river  to  be  the  Kile,  and  reason  favors  this  idea.'  " 

"  Oh  !  oh  !"  shouted  my  Commi  men.  "  It  is  no  won- 
der that  the  white  man  forgets  nothing.  Chally,  will 
what  you  write  about  the  strange  things  we  see  be  re- 
membered in  the  same  manner  with  what  that  man  He- 
rodotus wrote  ?" 

"  I  do  not  know,"  said  I.  "  If  the  white  people  think 
that  what  we  saw  is  worthy  of  preservation,  it  will  be  re- 
membered ;  if  not,  it  will  be  forgotten.  But  never  mind," 
I  said ;  "  let  us  see  for  ourselves,  and  what  a  tale  we  shall 
have  to  tell  to  our  people  on  our  return ;  for  what  we  see 
no  other  men  have  ever  seen  before  us." 

After  my  story  of  Herodotus  the  shades  of  evening 
had  come,  and  a  great  Ashango  dance  took  place.  How 
wild,  how  strange  the  dancing  was  in  the  temple  or  house 
of  the  mbuiti  (idol) !     The  idol  was  a  huge  representa- 


DANCING  ROUND  AN  IDOL.  245 

tioii  of  a  ^voman,  and  it  stood  at  the  end  of  tlie  temple, 
which  was  about  fifty  feet  in  length,  and  only  ten  feet 
broad.  The  extremity  of  the  building,  wliere  the  mbuiti 
was  kept,  was  also  dark,  and  looked  weird  by  the  light  of 
the  torches  as  I  entered.  It  was  painted  in  red,  white, 
and  black. 

Along  the  walls  on  each  side  were  Ashango  men  seat- 
ed on  the  ground,  each  having  a  lighted  torch  before  him. 
In  the  centre  were  two  mbuiti-men  (doctor,  priest)  dressed 
with  fibres  of  trees  round  their  waist ;  each  had  one  side 
of  his  face  painted  white  and  the  other  side  red.  Do^\ti 
the  middle  of  the  breast  they  had  a  broad  yellow  stripe, 
and  the  hollow  of  the  eye  w^as  painted  yellow.  They 
make  these  different  colors  from  different  woods,  the 
coloring  matter  of  which  they  mix  with  clay.  All  the 
Ashangos  were  also  streaked  and  daubed  with  various 
colors,  and  by  the  light  of  their  torches  they  looked  like 
a  troop  of  devils  assembled  on  the  earth  to  celebrate 
some  diabolical  rite.  Round  their  legs  were  bound 
sharp-pointed  white  leaves  from  the  heart  of  the  palm- 
tree  ;  some  wore  feathers,  others  had  leaves  behind  their 
ears,  and  all  had  a  bundle  of  palm-leaves  in  their  hands. 
They  did  not  stir  when  I  came  in.  I  told  them  not  to 
stop ;  that  I  came  only  to  look  at  them. 

They  began  by  making  all  kinds  of  contortions,  and 
wQi  up  a  deafening  howl  of  wild  songs.  There  was  an 
orchestra  of  instrumental  performers  near  the  idol,  con- 
Bisting  of  three  drummers  beating  as  hard  as  tliey  could 
with  their  sticks  on  two  ngomas  (tam-tams),  one  harper, 
and  another  man  strumminfy  with  all  his  mic^ht  on  a 
sounding-board.  Tlie  two  mbuiti-men  danced  in  a  most 
fantastic  manner,  jumping  and  twisting  their  bodies  into 


246  THE  CO  UNTR  Y  OF  THE  D  WARFH. 

all  sorts  of  shapes  and  contortions.  Every  time  the 
mbuiti-men  opened  their  mouths  to  speak  a  dead  silence 
ensued.  Now  and  then  the  men  would  all  come  and 
dance  round  the  mbuiti-men,  and  then  they  would  all 
face  the  idol,  dance  before  it,  and  sing  songs  of  praise 
to  it. 

I  could  not  stand  this  noise  long,  so  I  left  my  Ashan- 
gos  to  enjoy  themselves,  and,  as  usual  before  retiring,  or- 
dered my  men  to  keep  their  watch  in  a  proper  manner. 

"  Don't  be  disheartened,"  said  the  chief  of  Niembouai 
to  me  after  my  unsuccessful  attempt  to  see  the  Dwarfs. 
"  I  told  you  before  that  the  little  Obongos  were  as  shy 
as  the  antelopes  and  gazelles  of  the  woods.  You  have 
seen  for  yom^self  now  that  what  I  said  was  true.  If  yon 
are  careful  when  you  go  again  to  their  settlement,  you 
will  probably  surprise  tliem,  only  don't  wait  long  before 
going  again,  for  they  may  move  away." 

Before  sunrise  the  next  morning  we  started  again  for 
the  settlement  of  the  little  Dwarfs.  We  were  still  more 
cautious  than  before  in  going  through  the  jungle.  This 
time  we  took  another  direction  to  reach  them,  lest  per- 
haps they  might  be  watching  the  path  by  which  we  had 
come  before. 

After  a  while  I  thought  I  saw  through  the  trunks  of 
the  trees  aliead  of  us  several  little  houses  of  the  Dwarfs. 
I  kept  still,  and  immediately  gave  a  sign  to  make  my 
guides  maintain  silence.  They  obeyed  me  on  the  instant, 
and  we  lay  motionless  on  the  ground,  hardly  daring  to 
breathe.  There  was  no  mistake  about  it ;  we  could  see, 
as  we  peeped  through  the  trees,  the  houses  of  the  Dwarfs, 
but  there  seemed  to  be  no  life  there,  no  Obongos.  We 
kept  watching  for  more  than  half  an  hour  in  breathless 


FRIGHT  OF  THE  DWARFS.  247 

silence,  when  lo !  Ilebouka  gave  a  tremendous  sneeze.  I 
looked  at  him.  I  wish  you  had  seen  his  face.  Another 
sneeze  was  coming,  and  he  w^as  trying  hard  to  prevent  it, 
and  made  all  sorts  of  faces,  but  the  look  I  gave  him  was 
enough,  I  suppose,  and  the  second  sneeze  was  suppressed. 
Then  w^e  got  up  and  entered  the  little  settlement  of  the 
Dwarfs.  There  was  not  one  of  them  there.  Tlie  villasre 
had  been  abandoned.  The  leaves  over  the  httle  houses 
were  dry,  and,  while  we  were  looking  all  round,  sudden- 
ly our  bodies  were  covered  with  swarms  of  fleas,  which 
drove  us  out  faster  than  we  came.  It  was  awful,  for 
they  did  bite  savagely,  as  if  they  had  not  had  any  thing 
to  feed  upon  for  a  whole  month. 

We  continued  to  walk  very  carefully,  and  after  a  while 
we  came  near  another  settlement  of  the  Dwarfs,  which 
was  situated  in  the  densest  part  of  the  forest.  I  see  the 
huts ;  we  cross  the  little  stream  from  which  the  Dwarfs 
drew  their  w^ater  to  drink.  How  careful  we  are  as  we 
walk  toward  their  habitations,  our  bodies  bent  almost 
double,  in  order  not  to  be  easily  discovered.  I  am  exci- 
ted— oh,  I  would  give  so  much  to  see  the  Dwarfs,  to 
speak  to  them !  How  craftily  we  advance !  how  cau- 
tious we  are  for  fear  of  alarming  the  shy  inmates !  My 
Ashango  guides  hold  bunches  of  beads.  I  see  that  the 
beads  we  had  hung  to  the  trees  have  been  taken  away. 

All  our  caution  was  in  vain.  The  Dwarfs  saw  us,  and 
ran  away  in  the  woods.  We  rushed,  but  it  was  too  late ; 
they  had  gone.  But  as  we  came  into  the  settlement  1 
thought  1  saw  three  creatures  lying  flat  on  iha  ground, 
and  crawling  through  their  small  doors  into  their  houses. 
When  we  were  in  the  very  midst  of  the  settlement  I 
shouted, "  Is  there  any  body  here  ?"     No  answer.     The 

L2 


248  THE  CO  UNTR  Y  OF  THE  D  WARES. 

Ashangos  sliouted, "  Is  there  any  body  liene  ?"  Ko  an- 
swer. I  said  to  the  Ashangos, "  I  am  certain  that  I  have 
seen  some  of  the  Dwarfs  go  into  their  huts."  Then  they 
shouted  again, "  Is  there  any  body  here  T  The  same  si- 
lence. Turning  toward  me,  my  guides  said,  "  Oguizi, 
your  eyes  have  deceived  you ;  there  is  no  one  here ;  they 
liave  all  fled.  They  are  afraid  of  you."  "  I  am  not  mis- 
taken," I  answered.  I  went  with  one  Ashango  toward 
one  of  the  huts  where  I  thought  I  had  seen  one  of  the 
Dwarfs  go  inside  to  hide,  and  as  I  came  to  the  little  door 
I  shouted  again, "  Is  there  any  body  here  ?"  Xo  answer. 
The  Ashango  shouted, "  Is  there  any  body  inside  ?"  No 
answer.  "I  told  you,  Oguizi,  that  they  have  all  run 
away."  It  did  seem  queer  to  me  that  I  should  have  suf- 
fered an  optical  delusion.  I  was  perfectly  sure  that  I  had 
seen  three  Dwarfs  get  inside  of  their  huts.  "  Perhaps 
they  have  broken  through  the  back  part,  and  have  es- 
caped," said  I ;  so  I  w^alked  round  their  little  houses,  but 
every  thing  was  right — nothing  had  gone  outside  through 
the  walls. 

In  order  to  make  sure,  I  came  again  to  the  door,  and 
shouted,  "  Nobody  here  'd"  The  same  silence.  I  lay  flat 
on  the  ground,  put  my  head  inside  of  the  door,  and  again 
shouted,  "  Nobody  here  ?"  It  was  so  dark  inside  that, 
coming  from  the  light,  I  could  not  see,  so  I  extended  my 
arm  in  order  to  feel  if  tliere  w^as  any  one  within.  Sweep- 
ing my  arm  from  left  to  right,  at  first  I  touched  an  empty 
bed,  composed  of  three  sticks ;  then,  feeling  carefully,  I 
moved  m}^  arm  gradually  toward  the  right,  when — hallo  ! 
what  do  I  feel  ?  A  leg !  which  I  immediately  grabbed 
above  the  ankle,  and  a  piercing  shriek  startled  me.  It 
was  the  leg  of  a  human  being,  and  that  human  being  a 
Dwarf !     1  liad  c^ot  hold  of  a  Dwarf ! 


CATCHING  A  PIGMY.  249 

"Don't  be  afraid;  the  Spirit  will  do  you  no  harm," 
said  my  Ashango  guide. 

"Don't  be  afraid,"  I  said,  in  the  Ashango  language, 
and  I  immediately  pulled  the  creature  I  had  seized  by 
the  leg  through  the  door,  in  the  midst  of  great  excite- 
ment among  my  Commi  men. 

"A  Dwarf !"  I  shouted,  as  the  little  creature  came  out. 
"A  woman !"  I  shouted  again — "  a  pigmy !"  The  little 
creature  shrieked,  looking  at  me.  "Nchende!  nchende! 
nchende !"  said  she.^  "  Oh !  oh !  oh !  Yo !  yo !  yo  1"  and 
her  piercing  wail  rent  the  air. 

What  a  sight !  I  had  never  seen  the  like.  "What!" 
said  I, "  now  I  do  see  the  Dwarfs  of  Equatorial  Africa — 
tlie  Dwarfs  of  Homer,  Herodotus — the  Dwarfs  of  the 
ancients." 

How  queer  the  little  old  woman  looked  !  How  fright- 
ened she  was!  she  trembled  all  over.  She  was  neither 
white  nor  black ;  she  was  of  a  yellow,  or  mulatto  color. 
"  What  a  little  head !  what  a  little  body !  what  a  little 
hand !  what  a  little  foot !"  I  exclaimed.  "  Oh,  what 
queer-looking  hair !"  said  I,  bewildered.  The  hair  grew 
on  the  head  in  little  tufts  apart  from  each  other,  and  the 
face  was  as  wrinkled  as  a  baked  apple.  I  can  not  tell 
you  how  delighted  I  was  at  my  discovery. 

So,  giving  my  little  prize  to  one  of  the  Ashangos,  and 
ordering  my  Commi  men  to  catch  her  if  she  tried  to  run 
away,  I  went  to  the  other  little  dwelling  where  I  thought 
I  had  seen  another  of  the  Dwarfs  hide  himself.  The 
two  little  huts  stood  close  together.  I  shouted,  "Nobody 
here  V  No  answer.  Then  I  did  what  I  had  done  be- 
fore, and,  getting  my  head  inside  of  the  hut  through  the 
door,  again  shouted,  "Nobody  here?"     No  answer.     1 


250  'J^HE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWAMFS. 

moved  my  right  hand  to  see  if  I  could  feel  any  bod}^, 
when,  lo !  I  seized  a  leg,  and  immediately  heard  a  shriek. 
I  pulled  another  strange  little  Dwarf  out  of  the  door. 
It  was  also  a  woman,  not  quite  so  old  as  the  first,  but 
having  exactly  the  same  appearance. 

The  two  Dw^arf -women  looked  at  each  other,  and  be- 
gan to  cry  and  sing  mournful  songs,  as  if  they  expected 
to  be  killed.     I  said  to  them,  "  Be  not  fi'ightened !" 

Then  the  Ashangos  called  to  the  last  Dwarf  who  had 
hid  to  come  out ;  that  it  was  no  use,  I  had  seen  them  all. 
They  had  hardly  spoken  when  I  saw  a  little  head  peep- 
ing out  of  the  door,  and  my  Ashangos  made  the  creature 
come  out.  It  was  a  woman  also,  who  began  crying,  and 
the  trio  shrieked  and  cried,  and  cried  and  shrieked,  wring- 
ing their  hands,  till  they  got  tired.  They  thought  their 
last  day  had  come. 

"  Don't  be  afraid,"  said  the  Asliangos  ;  "  the  Oguizi  is 
a  good  oguizi."    "  Don't  be  afraid,"  said  my  Commi  men. 

After  a  while  they  stopped  crying,  and  began  to  look 
at  me  more  quietly. 

For  the  first  time  I  w^as  able  to  look  carefully  at  these 
little  Dwarfs.  They  had  prominent  cheek-bones,  and 
were  yellow,  their  faces  being  exactly  of  the  same  color 
as  the  chimpanzee ;  the  palms  of  their  hands  were  almost 
as  white  as  those  of  white  people  ;  they  seemed  well-pro- 
portioned, but  their  eyes  had  an  untamable  wildness  that 
struck  me  at  once  ;  they  had  thick  lips  and  flat  noses,  like 
the  negroes ;  their  foreheads  were  low  and  narrow,  and 
their  cheek-bones  prominent ;  and  their  hair,  which  grew 
in  little,  short  tufts,  was  black,  with  a  reddish  tinge. 

After  a  while  I  thought  I  heard  a  rustling  in  one  of 
the  little  houses,  so  I  w^ent  there,  and,  looking  inside,  saw 


Q  UEER  LITTLE  SPECIMENS.  2  5 1 

it  filled  with  the  tiniest  children.  They  were  exceedingly 
shy.  When  they  saw  me  they  hid  their  heads  just  as 
young  dogs  or  kittens  would  do,  and  got  into  a  huddle, 
and  kept  still.  These  were  the  little  dwarfish  children 
who  had  remained  in  the  village  under  the  care  of  the 
three  women,  while  the  Dwarfs  had  gone  into  the  forest 
to  collect  their  evening  meal— that  is  to  say,  nuts,  fruits, 
and  berries— and  to  see  if  the  traps  they  had  set  had 
caught  any  game. 

I  immediately  put  beads  around  the  necks  of  the 
women,  gave  them  a  leg  of  w^ild  boar  and  some  plan- 
tains, and  told  them  to  tell  their  people  to  remain,  and 
not  to  be  afi-aid.  I  gave  some  meat  to  the  little  chil- 
dren, who,  as  soon  as  I  showed  it  to  them,  seized  it  just 
in  the  same  manner  that  Fighting  Joe  or  ugly  Tom  would 
have  done,  only,  instead  of  fighting,  they  ran  away  imme- 
diately. 

Yery  queer  specimens  these  little  children  seemed  to 
be.  They  w^ere,  if  any  thing,  lighter  in  color  than  the 
older  people,  and  they  were  such  little  bits  of  things  that 
they  reminded  me— I  could  not  help  it— of  the  chimpan- 
zees and  nshiego-mbouvds  I  had  captured  at  different 
times,  though  their  heads  were  much  larger. 

I  waited  in  vain — the  other  inhabitants  did  not  come 
back ;  they  were  afraid  of  me.  I  told  the  women  that 
the  next  day  I  should  return  and  bring  them  meat  (for 
they  are  said  to  be  very  fond  of  it),  and  plenty  of  beads. 


CHAPTEE  XXV. 

IVIAKING  FRIENDS  WITH  THE  DWARFS. A  SURPRISE  VISIT. 

A  GORGEOUS  FEAST. RIDICULOUS    SHOW  OF  BABIES. — THE 

DWARF  LANGUAGE. A  DWARF  DANCE. THE    OLD   FABLE 

OF   THE    CRANES  AND    THE   PIGMIES. 

After  several  visits  to  the  settlement  of  the  Dwarfs 
we  became  friends,  but  it  took  time.  My  great  friend 
among  them  was  Misounda,  an  old  woman,  the  first  one 
I  had  seen,  and  whom  I  pulled  out  of  her  own  house ;  but 
I  had  some  trouble  before  I  could  tame  friend  Misounda. 

One  day  I  thought  I  would  surprise  the  Dwarfs,  and 
come  on  them  unawares,  without  having  told  my  friend 
Misounda  I  was  coming.  When  I  made  my  appearance 
I  just  caught  a  glimpse  of  her  feet  as  she  was  running 
into  her  house.  That  was  all  I  saw  of  Misounda.  At  all 
the  other  huts  little  branches  of  trees  had  been  stuck  up 
in  front  to  show  that  the  inmates  were  out,  and  that  their 
doors  were  shut,  and  that  nobody  could  get  in.  These 
were,  indeed,  queer  doors.  I  had  never  seen  the  like. 
They  were  of  little  use  except  for  keeping  out  the  dogs 
and  wild  beasts.  "When  I  went  in  Misounda's  hut  and 
got  hold  of  her,  she  pretended  to  have  been  asleep.  "  So, 
after  all,  these  little  Dwarfs,"  said  I, "  know  how  to  lie 
and  how  to  deceive  just  as  well  as  other  people." 

Upon  one  of  my  visits  to  the  village  I  saw  two  other 


.1  SURPRISE  VISIT.  253 

women,  a  man,  and  two  children  ;  all  the  other  Obongos 
had  gone.  So  I  made  friends  with  them  by  giving  them 
meat  and  beads.  I  saw  that  the  women  were  not  the 
mothers  of  the  children.  I  looked  at  the  doors  of  all 
the  lints ;  they  all  had  branches  put  at  the  entrance  to 
signify  that  the  owner  was  out.  I  do  not  know  why,  but 
I  begun  to  suspect  that  the  mother  of  the  children  was 
in  the  settlement,  and  close  by  where  they  stood.  I  had 
my  eyes  upon  one  of  the  little  houses  as  the  one  where 
she  was  hiding ;  so  I  put  aside  the  branches  at  the  en- 
trance, and,  putting  half  of  my  body  into  the  hut,  I  suc- 
ceeded in  discovering  in  the  dark  something  which  I  rec- 
ognized after  a  while  as  a  human  being. 

"  Don't  be  afraid,"  I  said.  "  Don't  be  afraid,"  repeat- 
ed my  Ashango  guides.  The  creature  was  a  woman. 
She  came  out  with  a  sad  countenance,  and  began  to 
weep.  She  had  over  her  forehead  a  broad  stripe  of  yel- 
low ochre.  She  was  a  widow,  and  had  buried  her  hus- 
band only  a  few  days  before. 

"  Where  is  the  burial-ground  of  the  Dwarfs  ?"  I  asked 
of  my  Ashango  guides.     "Ask  her,"  said  I  to  them. 

"  No,  Spirit,"  said  they,  "  for  if  you  ask  them  such  a 
question,  these  Dwarfs  will  fear  you  more  than  ever,  and 
3^ou  will  never  see  them  any  more.  They  will  flee  far 
away  into  the  thickest  part  of  the  forest.  We  Ashango 
people  do  not  know  even  where  they  bury  their  dead. 
They  have  no  regular  burial-ground.  IIow  could  they  ?" 
added  my  guide, "for  they  roam  in  the  forest  like  the 
gorilla,  the  nshiego-mbouve,  the  kooloo-kamba,  and  the 
nshiego.  I  believe,"  said  the  Ashango,  "  that  all  these 
Dwarfs  have  come  from  the  same  father  and  the  same 
mother  lonij;,  lon<»;  a^^o." 


254  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWAMFS. 

Another  time  I  came  to  the  village  of  tlie  Obongos 
with  two  legs  of  goats,  a  leg  of  wild  boar,  ten  house-rats 
which  had  been  trapped,  a  large  dead  snake,  and  two 
land  turtles,  which  I  intended  to  give  as  a  feast  to  the 
Obongos.  Rebouka,  Macondai,  and  Igalo  were  with  me, 
and  several  Ashango  women  accompanied  us.  We  had 
several  bunches  of  plantain,  for  I  had  resolved  to  give 
them  a  regular  banquet,  and  we  had  set  out  to  have  a 
good  time  in  their  settlement.  I  had  brought  beads,  a 
looking-glass,  some  spoons,  knives,  forks,  and  one  of  my 
little  Geneva  musical  boxes.  Guns  were  also  to  be  fired, 
for  I  was  going  to  show  the  Dwarfs  what  the  Oguizi  could 
do.  When  they  saw  us  with  food  they  received  us  with 
great  joy.  "  What  a  queer  language,"  I  thought, "  these 
Dwarfs  have !"  There  was  a  wild  Dwarf  hurra, "  Ya  ! 
ye !  yo !  Oua  !  oua !  Ke !  ki-ke-ki !"  when  they  saw 
the  good  things  that  were  to  be  eaten. 

Nearly  all  the  Dwarfs  were  here ;  very  few  of  them 
were  absent.  Misounda,  who  was  ray  friend,  and  who 
seemed  to  be  less  afraid  of  me  than  any  body  else,  stood 
by  me,  and  kept  her  eyes  upon  the  meat.  There  were 
fifty-nine  Dwarfs  all  told,  including  men,  women,  chil- 
dren, and  babies.  What  little  things  the  babies  were ! 
Smoke  came  out  of  every  hut,  fires  were  lighted  all 
round,  nuts  were  roasting,  berries  and  fruits  had  been 
collected  in  great  abundance,  and  snake-flesh  was  plen- 
tiful, for  the  Dwarfs  had  been  the  day  before  on  a  feed- 
ing excursion.     Eats  and  mice  had  also  been  trapped. 

"  Obongos,"  said  I, "  we  have  come  to  have  a  good  time. 
First  I  am  going  to  give  to  every  one  of  you  beads." 
Then  the  Ashangos  brought  before  them  a  basket  con- 
taining the  beads,  and  I  asked  who  was  the  chief.     I 


APPEARANCE  OF  THE  DWARFS.  255 

could  not  find  him,  and  tliey  would  not  tell  me.  Among 
them  were  several  old  people. 

The  Dwarfs  were  now  eager  for  beads,  and  surround- 
ed me,  and,  though  I  am  a  man  of  short  stature,  I  seemed 
a  giant  in  the  midst  of  them ;  and  as  for  Rebouka  and 
Igalo,  they  appeared  to  be  colossal.  "  Ya !  ya !  yo  !  yo  ! 
ye !  qui !  quo  !  oh  !  ah !  ri !  ri !  kd !  ki !  ke  !  ki !"  seemed 
to  be  the  only  sounds  they  could  make  in  their  excite- 
ment. Their  appearance  was  singular  indeed,  the  larger 
number  of  them  being  of  a  dirty  yellow  color.  A  few 
of  them  were  not  more  than  four  feet  in  height ;  others 
were  from  four  feet  two  inches  to  four  feet  seven  inches 
in  height.  But  if  they  were  short  in  size  they  were  stout- 
ly built ;  like  chimpanzees,  they  had  big,  broad  chests, 
and,  though  their  legs  w^ere  small,  they  were  muscular 
and  strong.  Their  arms  were  also  strong  in  proportion 
to  their  size.  There  were  gray-headed  men,  and  gray- 
headed,  wrinkled  old  women  among  them,  and  very  hid- 
eous the  old  Dwarfs  were.  Their  features  resembled 
very  closely  the  features  of  a  young  chimpanzee.  Some 
had  gray,  others  hazel  eyes,  while  the  eyes  of  a  few  were 
black. 

As  I  have  said  before,  their  hair  was  not  like  that  of 
the  negroes  and  Ashangos  among  whom  the  Dwarfs  live, 
but  grew  in  little  short  tufts  apart  from  each  other,  and 
the  hair,  after  attaining  a  certain  length,  could  not  grow 
longer.  These  little  tufts  looked  like  so  many  little  balls 
of  wool.  Many  of  the  men  had  their  chest  and  legs  cov- 
ered with  these  little  tufts  of  woolly  hair.  The  women's 
hair  was  no  longer  than  that  of  the  men,  and  it  grew  ex- 
actly in  the  same  manner. 

I  could  not  keep  my  eyes  from  the  tiny  babies.     They 


256  "^^^  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

were  ridiculously  small,  and  much  lighter  in  color  than 
the  older  people.  Their  mothers  had  a  broad  string  of 
leather  hanging  from  their  shoulders  to  carry  them  in. 

There  was  great  excitement  among  them  as  I  distrib- 
uted the  beads,  and  they  would  shout, "  Look  at  his  dji- 
vie  (nose) ;  look  at  his  mouna  (mouth) ;  look  at  his  dia- 
rou  (head) ;  look  at  his  nchouie  (hair) ;  look  at  his  mishou 
(beard) !"  and,  in  spite  of  my  big  mustache,  they  would 
shout, "  Is  he  a  bagala  oguizi  (man  spirit),  or  an  oguizi 
mokasho  (woman  spirit)  V  Some  declared  that  I  was  a 
mokasho,  others  that  I  was  a  bagala.  I  did  not  forget 
my  friend  Misounda. 

After  I  had  given  them  beads  I  took  out  a  large  look- 
ing-glass which  I  had  hidden,  and  put  it  in  front  of  them. 
Immediately  they  trembled  with  fright,  and  said, "  Spir- 
it, don't  kill  us !"  and  turned  their  heads  from  the  look- 
ing-glass. Then  the  musical  box  was  shown,  and  when 
I  had  set  it  playing  the  Dwarfs  lay  down  on  the  ground, 
frightened  by  the  brilliant,  sj)arkling  music  of  the  mech- 
anism, and  by  turns  looked  at  me  and  at  the  box.  Some 
of  them  ran  away  into  their  little  huts.  After  their  fears 
were  allayed  I  showed  them  a  string  of  six  little  bells, 
which  I  shook,  whereat  their  little  eyes  brightened,  and 
their  joy  was  unbounded  when  I  gave  them  the  bells. 
One,  of  course,  was  for  friend  Misounda,  who  hung  it  by 
a  cord  to  her  waist,  and  shook  her  body  in  order  to  make 
it  ring. 

After  this  I  ordered  Igalo  to  bring  me  the  meat,  and 
taking  from  my  sheath  my  big,  bright,  sharp  hunting- 
knife,  I  cut  it  and  distributed  it  among  the  Dwarfs. 
Then  I  gave  them  the  plantains,  and  told  them  to  eat. 
I  wish  you  had  seen  the  twisting  of  their  mouths;  it 


DANCE  AND  CONCUMT  OF  DWAUFlS.  251 

would  have  made  you  laugh.  Immediately  tlie  little 
Dwarfs  scattered  round  their  fires,  and  roasted  the  food 
I  had  given  them,  and  it  was  no  sooner  cooked  than  it 
was  eaten,  they  seemed  to  be  so  fond  of  flesh. 

When  they  had  finished  eating  the  Obongos  seemed 
more  sociable  than  I  had  ever  seen  them  before.  I  seat- 
ed myself  on  a  dead  limb  of  a  tree,  and  they  came  round 
me  and  asked  me  to  talk  to  them  as  the  spirits  talk.  So 
I  took  my  journal,  and  read  to  them  in  English  what  I 
had  written  the  day  before.  After  speaking  to  them  in 
the  language  of  the  Oguizis,  I  said, "  Now  talk  to  me  in 
the  language  of  the  Dwarfs ;"  and,  pointing  to  my  fingers, 
I  gave  them  to  understand  that  I  wanted  to  know  how 
they  counted.  So  a  Dwarf,  taking  hold  of  his  hand,  and 
then  one  finger  after  another,  counted  one,  moi;  two, 
bei ;  three,  metato ;  four,  djimabongo ;  'G.\e,  djio ;  six,  sa- 
mouna ;  seven,  nchima ;  eight,  misamouno ;  nine,  nchou- 
ma ;  ten,  mbo-ta ;  and  then  raised  his  hands,  intimating 
that  he  could  not  count  beyond  ten. 

One  of  them  asked  me  if  I  lived  in  the  soungui  (moon), 
then  another  if  I  lived  in  a  niechi  (star),  another  if  I  had 
been  long  in  the  forest.  Did  I  make  the  fine  things  I 
gave  them  during  the  night  ? 

"  Now,  Obongos,"  I  said  to  them,  "  I  want  you  to  sing 
and  to  dance  the  Dwarf  dance  for  me."  An  old  Dwarf 
went  out,  and  took  out  of  his  hut  a  ngoma  (tam-tam),  and 
began  to  beat  it ;  then  the  people  struck  up  a  chant,  and 
what  queer  singing  it  w^as !  what  shrill  voices  they  had  ! 
After  a  while  they  got  excited,  and  began  to  dance,  all 
the  while  gesticulating  wildly,  leaping  up,  and  kicking 
backwards  and  forwards,  and  shaking  their  lieads. 

Then  I  fired  two  guns,  the  noise  of  which  seemed  to 


258  THE  CO  UNTM  Y  OF  THE  D  WAHFS. 

stun  them  and  fill  tlieni  with  fear.  I  gave  them  to  un- 
derstand that  when  I  saw  an  elephant,  a  leopard,  a  go- 
rilla, or  any  living  thing,  by  making  that  noise  I  could 
kill  them,  and  to  show  them  I  could  do  it  I  brought  down 
a  bird  perched  on  a  high  tree  near  their  settlement.  How 
astonished  they  seemed  to  be ! 

"  After  all,"  I  said  to  myself,  "  tliough  low  in  the  scale 
of  intelligence,  like  their  more  civilized  fellow-men,  these 
little  creatures  can  dance  and  sing." 

"  Now,  Obongos,  that  you  have  asked  me  about  the 
Oguizis,"  I  said  to  them, "  tell  me  about  yourselves.  Why 
do  you  not  build  villages  as  other  people  do  ?" 

"  Oh,"  said  they, "  we  do  not  build  villages,  for  we  never 
like  to  remain  long  in  the  same  place,  for  if  we  did  we 
should  soon  starve.  When  we  have  gathered  all  the 
fi'uits,  nuts,  and  berries  around  the  place  where  we  have 
been  living  for  a  time,  and  trapped  all  the  game  there  is 
in  the  region,  and  food  is  becoming  scarce,  we  move  off 
to  some  other  part  of  the  forest.  We  love  to  move ;  we 
hate  to  tarry  long  at  the  same  spot.  We  love  to  be  free, 
like  the  antelopes  and  gazelles." 

"  Wliy  don't  you  plant  for  food,  as  other  people  do  T 
I  asked  them. 

"Why  should  we  work,"  said  they,  "when  there  are 
plenty  of  fruits,  berries,  and  nuts  around  us  %  when  there 
is  game  in  the  woods,  and  fish  in  the  rivers,  and  snakes, 
rats,  and  mice  are  plentiful  ?  We  love  the  berries,  the 
nuts,  and  the  fruits  which  grow  wild  much  better  than 
the  fruits  the  hig  jpeojple  raise  on  their  plantations.  And 
if  we  had  villages,"  they  said, "  the  strong  and  tall  people 
who  live  in  the  country  might  come  and  make  war  upon 
us,  kill  us,  and  capture  us." 


ARTS  AMONG  THE  DWARFS.  259 

"  They  do  not  desire  to  kill  you,"  I  said  to  them.  '^  See 
how  friendly  they  are  \\dth  yon !  When  yon  trap  mnch 
game  you  exchange  it  for  plantains  with  them.  Why 
don't  you  wear  clothing  ?" 

"  Why,"  said  they,  "  the  fire  is  our  means  of  keeping 
warm,  and  then  the  hig  people  give  us  their  grass-cloth 
when  they  have  done  wearing  it." 

"  Why  don't  you  work  iron,  and  make  spears  and  bat- 
tle-axes, so  that  you  might  be  able  to  defend  yourselves, 
and  be  not  afraid  of  war  ?" 

'"'  We  do  not  know  how  to  work  iron ;  it  takes  too 
much  time ;  it  is  too  hard  work.  We  can  make  bows, 
and  we  make  arrows  with  hard  wood,  and  can  poison 
them.  We  know  how  to  make  traps  to  trap  game,  and 
we  trap  game  in  far  greater  number  than  we  can  kill  it 
w^ien  we  go  hunting ;  and  we  love  to  go  hunting." 

"  Why  don't  you  make  bigger  cabins  ?" 

"We  do  not  want  to  make  bigger  cabins ;  it  would  be 
too  much  trouble,  and  we  do  not  know  how.  These  are 
good  enough  for  us ;  they  keep  the  rain  from  us,  and  we 
build  them  so  rapidly." 

"  Don't  the  leopards  sometimes  come  and  eat  some  of 
you?" 

"Yes,  they  do !"  they  exclaimed.  "  Then  we  move  off 
far  away,  several  days'  journey  from  where  the  leopards 
have  come  to  eat  some  of  us ;  and  often  we  make  traps 
to  catch  them.  We  hate  the  leopards!"  the  Obongos 
shouted  with  one  voice. 

"  How  do  you  make  your  fires  ?  tell  me ;"  and  I  could 
not  help  thinking  that,  however  wild  a  man  was,  even 
though  he  might  be  apparently  little  above  the  chimpan- 
zee, he  liad  always  a  fire,  and  knew  how  to  make  it. 


260  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

They  showed  me  flint-stones,  and  a  species  of  oakum 
coming  from  the  palm-tree,  and  said  they  knocked  these 
stones  against  each  other,  and  the  sparks  gave  them  fire. 

Then,  to  astonish  them,  I  took  a  match  from  my  match- 
box and  lighted  it.  As  soon  as  they  saw  the  flame  a  wild 
shout  rang  through  the  settlement. 

"  Obongos,  tell  me,"  said  I,  "  how  you  get  your  wives, 
for  your  settlements  are  far  apart,  and  you  have  no  paths 
leadino*  throus^h  the  forest  from  one  to  another.  You 
never  know  how  far  the  next  settlement  of  the  Dwarfs 
may  be  from  yours." 

"  It  is  true,"  said  they,  "  that  sometimes  we  do  not 
know  where  the  next  encampment  of  the  Obongos  may 
be,  and  we  do  not  wish  to  know,  for  sometimes  we  fight 
among  ourselves,  and  if  we  lived  near  together  we  should 
become  too  numerous,  and  find  it  diflScult  to  procure 
berries  and  game.  Our  people  never  leave  one  settle- 
ment for  another.  Generation  after  generation  we  have 
lived  among  ourselves,  and  married  among  ourselves.  It 
is  but  seldom  we  permit  a  stranger  from  another  Obongo 
settlement  to  come  among  us." 

"  How  far,"  said  I,  pointing  to  the  east, "  do  you  meet 
Obongos  r 

"  Far,  far  away,"  they  answered,  "  toward  where  the 
sun  rises,  Obongos  are  found  scattered  in  the  great  for- 
est. We  love  the  woods,  for  there  we  live,  and  if  we 
were  to  live  any  where  else  we  should  starve." 

"As  you  wander  through  the  forest,"  I  asked,  "  don't 
you  sometimes  come  to  prairies  ?" 

"  Yes,"  said  they,  and  here  an  old  Obongo  addressed 
himself  to  my  Ashango  intei^reter.  "  When  I  was  a  bo}^, 
we  had  our  settlement  for  a  lono:  time  in  the  forest  not 


TUE  CRANES  AND  THE  PIGMIES.  261 

far  from  a  big  j[>Tairie^  and  farther  off  there  was  a  big 
river.  Since  then,"  said  the  old  Obongo,  "  as  we  moved 
we  have  tm-ned  our  backs  upon  where  the  sun  rises,  and 
marched  in  the  direction  where  the  sun  sets"  (which 
meant  that  they  had  been  migrating  from  the  east  to- 
ward the  west). 

"  Did  you  not  see,"  said  I,  continuing  my  questions, 
"  birds  with  long  legs  and  long  beaks  in  those  prairies  T 

"  Yes,"  said  all  the  Obongos ;  "  sometimes  we  kill  them, 
for  we  love  their  flesh." 

I  could  not  but  remember  the  description  Homer  gave 
of  the  cranes  and  the  Pigmies,  and  I  here  give  it  to  you 
in  the  translation  of  a  man  of  wliom  every  American 
sliould  be  proud  as  one  of  the  greatest  poets  of  the  age. 
Mr.William  CuUen  Bryant's  translation  reads  as  follows : 

"As  when  the  cry 
Of  cranes  is  in  the  air,  that,  flying  south 
From  winter  and  its  mighty  breadth  of  rain, 
Wing  their  way  over  ocean,  and  at  dawn 
Bring  fearful  battle  to  the  Pigmy  race, 
Bloodshed  and  death." — Iliad,  iii.,  3-8. 

Of  course  our  friend  Homer,  the  grand  old  bard  that 
will  never  die,  did  not  see  the  Dwarfs,  and  only  related 
what  he  had  heard  of  them,  and,  like  every  thing  that  is 
transmitted  from  mouth  to  mouth,  and  from  country  to 
country,  the  story  has  become  very  much  exaggerated. 

Beyond  a  doubt,  at  certain  seasons  of  every  j^ear  the 
cranes  left  the  country  of  which  Homer  spoke,  for  cranes 
are  migratory,  and  their  migration  was  toward  the  IN'ile ; 
thence  they  winged  their  flight  toward  the  Upper  Nile, 
and  spread  all  over  the  interior  of  Africa ;  and,  as  they 
came  to  the  country  of  tlie  Dwarfs,  the  Dwarfs  came  out 
to  kill  them,  instead  of  their  coming  to  kill  tlic  Dwarfs. 


262  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWABFS. 

The  dwarfs  of  Homer's  time  killed  tliem  for  food,  as  they 
still  kill  them  in  Equatorial  Africa  in  certain  seasons  of 
the  year. 

I  am  now  going  to  tell  you  what  I  wrote  about  these 
big  cranes  before  I  had  even  heard  of  the  Country  of  the 
Dwarfs,  or  that  such  people  as  the  Obongos  ever  existed : 

"  This  account  of  Homer  has  been  thought  fabulous ; 
for  '  How,'  it  has  been  asked, '  could  cranes  attack  a  race 
of  men  f 

"  Where  were  these  pigmies  to  exist  ?  I  will  try  to 
show  that  Homer  had  some  reason  to  say  what  he  wrote. 
In  the  first  book  which  I  published  (called  '  Explorations 
in  Equatorial  Africa')  I  did  not  mention  what  Homer  had 
written.  I  had  heard  of  the  Dwarfs,  but  I  dismissed  the 
account  given  to  me  by  the  Apingi  as  fabulous.  In  chap, 
xiv.,  p.  260, 1  say  : 

"  '  The  dry  season  was  nowrsetting  in  in  earnest,  and  I 
devoted  the  whole  month  of  July  to  exploring  the  coim- 
try  along  the  sea-shore.  It  is  curious  that  most  of  the 
birds  which  w^ere  so  abundant  during  the  rainy  season 
had  by  this  time  taken  their  leave,  and  other  birds  in  im- 
mense numbers  flocked  in  to  feed  on  the  fish,  which  now 
leave  the  sea-shore  and  bars  of  the  river  mouth,  and  as- 
cend the  river  to  spawn.' 

"  In  the  four  paragraphs  in  advance  on  the  same  page 
I  said, '  Birds  flocked  in  immense  numbers  on  the  prai- 
ries, whither  they  came  to  hatch  their  young. 

"  '  The  ugly  marabouts,  from  whose  tails  our  ladies  get 
the  splendid  feathers  for  their  bonnets,  w^ere  there  in 
thousands.  Pelicans  waded  on  the  river's  banks  all  day 
in  prodigious  swarms,  gulping  down  tlie  luckless  fish 
which  came  in  their  way.' 


I 


ABUNDANCE  OF  GAME.  2G3 

"  In  the  next  paragraph,  page  261, 1  continue : 

"  'And  on  the  sandy  point  one  morning  I  found  great 
flocks  of  the  Ibis  religiosa  (the  sacred  Ibis  of  the  Egyp- 
tians), which  had  arrived  overnight,  whence  I  could  not 
tell. 

"  'Ducks  of  various  kinds  built  their  nests  in  every 
creek  and  on  every  new  islet  that  appeared  with  the  re- 
ceding waters.  I  used  to  Inuit  those  until  I  got  tired  of 
duck-meat,  fine  as  it  is.  Cranes,  too,  and  numerous  other 
water-fowl,  flocked  in  every  day,  of  different  species.  All 
came,  by  some  strange  instinct,  to  feed  upon  the  vast 
shoals  of  flsh  which  literally  filled  the  river. 

"'On  the  sea -shore  I  sometimes  caught  a  bird,  the 
Sida  cajpensis,  which  had  been  driven  ashore  by  the 
treacherous  waves  to  which  it  liad  trusted  itself,  and 
could  not,  for  some  mysterious  reason,  get  away  again. 

"  'And,  finally,  every  sand-bar  is  covered  with  gulls, 
whose  shrill  screams  are  heard  from  morning  till  night 
as  they  fly  about  greedily  after  their  finny  prey.' 

"  I  terminated  the  description  by  saying, '  It  is  a  splen- 
did time  now  for  sportsmen,  and  I  thouglit  of  some  of 
my  Kew  York  friends  who  would  have  enjoj'cd  the  great 
plenty  of  game  that  was  now  here.' 

"  In  chap.  xiii.  of  the  same  book,  p.  199, 1  wrote : 

" '  From  Igale  to  Aniambie  was  two  hours'  walk, 
through  grass-fields,  in  w^hich  we  found  numerous  birds, 
some  of  them  new  to  me.  One  in  particular,  the  Mijc- 
teria  Senegalensis,  had  such  legs  that  it  fairly  outwalked 
me.  I  tried  to  catch  it,  but,  though  it  avouM  not  take  to 
the  wing,  it  kept  so  far  ahead  tJiat  I  could  not  even  get 
a  fair  shot  at  it. 

"  '  These  Mycteria  Senegalenses  are  among  the  largest 

M 


264  THE  GOUNTMY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

of  cranes.  They  have  a  long  neck,  and  a  very  powerful 
beak,  from  eight  to  ten  inches  in  length,  and  I  killed  sev- 
eral of  them,  which  I  brought  back.  I  had  grand  shoot- 
ing with  them,  and  many  a  time  I  gave  np  the  chase ; 
but  when  I  killed  one  I  took  good  care  to  see  that  the 
bird  could  not  hurt  me  and  was  quite  dead  before  I  ap- 
proached it.' 

"Hence  I  conclude  that  the  description  of  Homer  is 
correct  as  regards  the  great  number  of  cranes,  and  that 
he  was  right,  for  you  see  that  they  came  in  the  dry  sea- 
son, and  when  the  rains  came  they  disappeared  from  the 
country. 

"  The  dwarfish  race  of  whom  I  speak  are  great  hunters, 
and  is  it  not  probable  that  during  the  dry  season,  when  the 
cranes  came, there  was  rejoicing  in  thePigmean  race?  for 
there  would  be  food  and  meat  for  them ;  and  they  w^ould 
fight  also  with  the  large  crsme^the Iff/ctet'ia Se?ie(/alensis, 
which  probably  they  could  not  kill  at  once,  and  hence  it 
required  on  the  part  of  the  Dwarfs  great  dexterity  to 
capture  them.  For  myself,  I  was  always  careful  in  ap- 
proaching the  Ifycteria  Senegcdensis,  whose  height  is 
from  four  to  five  feet,  as  I  have  said,  when  quite  clear. 
The  natives,  as  I  approached  the  first  that  I  killed,  shouted 
to  me, '  Take  care ;  he  will  send  his  beak  into  your  eye.'  " 


CHAPTER  XXYI. 

A    MODERN     TKAVELEE's    ACCOUNT     OF     THE     DWARFS    AND 

TUEIR     H^UBITS. WHERE    AND     HOW     THEY     BURY    THEIR 

DEAD. HUNTING    FOR    THE    DWARFS. — HOW   THEY    MAKE 

THEIR    HUTS. 

Now  that  I  have  told  yon  what  Herodotus  and  Homer 
wrote  about  the  Dwarfs,  let  us  come  to  a  more  modern 
account  of  them.  We  read  the  following  in  Eev.  Dr. 
Krapf  s  "  Travels  and  Missionary  Labors  in  East  Africa :" 

"Noteworthy  are  the  reports  which  in  the  year  1S40 
were  communicated  to  me  by  a  slave  from  Enarea,  who, 
by  order  of  the  King  of  Shoa,  was  charged  with  the  care 
of  my  house  in  Angolala  during  my  residence  in  Onko- 
bez.  His  name  was  Dilbo,  and  he  was  a  native  of  Sabba, 
in  Enarea.  As  a  youth,  he  had  made  caravan  journeys 
to  Kaffa,  and  accompanied  the  slave-hunters  from  Kaffa 
to  Tuffte,  in  a  ten-days'  expedition,  where  they  crossed 
the  Omo,  some  sixty  feet  wide,  by  means  of  a  wooden 
bridge,  reaching  from  thence  to  Kullu  in  seven  days, 
which  is  but  a  few  days'  journey  from  the  Dokos,  a  Pigmy 
race  of  whom  Dilbo  told  almost  fabulous  stories"  (p.  50). 

Then  Dr.  Krapf  gives  an  account  of  Dilbo,  which  does 
not  bear  on  the  subject,  and  then  continues : 

"He  told  me  that  to  the  soutli  of  Kaffa  and  Sura  there 
is  a  very  sultry  and  humid  country,  with  many  bamboo 
woods  (meaning,  no  doubt,  palm-trees),  inhabited  by  the 


266  THE  CO  UNTR  Y  OF  THE  D  WARES. 

race  called  Dokos,  who  are  no  bigger  than  boys  ten  years 
old ;  that  is,  only  four  feet  high.  They  have  a  dark  ol- 
ive-colored complexion,  and  live  in  a  completely  savage 
state,  like  the  beasts,  having  neither  houses,  temples,  nor 
holy  trees,  like  the  Gallas,  yet  possessing  something  like 
an  idea  of  a  higher  being,  called  Yer,  to  whom,  in  mo- 
ments of  wretchedness  and  anxiety,  they  pray,  not  in  an 
erect  posture,  but  reversed,  with  the  head  on  the  ground, 
and  the  feet  supported  upright  against  a  tree  or  stone. 
In  prayer  they  say, '  Yer,  if  thou  really  dost  exist,  why 
dost  thou  allow  us  thus  to  be  slain  ?  We  do  not  ask  thee 
for  food  and  clothing,  for  we, live  on  serpents,  ants,  and 
mice.  Thou  hast  made  us,  why  dost  thou  permit  us  to 
be  trodden  under  foot  V  The  Dokos  have  a  chief,  no 
laws,  no  weapons.  They  do  not  hunt  nor  till  the  ground, 
but  live  solely  on  fruits,  roots,  mice,  serpents,  ants,  honey, 
and  the  like,  climbing  trees  and  gathering  the  fruits  like 
monkeys,  and  both  sexes  go  completely  naked.  They 
have  thick  protruding  lips,  flat  noses,  and  small  eyes. 
The  hair  is  not  woolly,  and  is  wo]*n  by  the  women  over 
the  shoulders.  The  nails  on  the  hands  and  feet  are  al- 
lowed to  grow  like  the  talons  of  vultures,  and  are  used  in 
digging  for  ants,  and  in  tearing  to  pieces  the  serpents, 
which  they  devour  raw,  for  they  are  unacquainted  with 
fire.  The  spine  of  the  snake  is  the  only  ornament  worn 
around  the  neck,  but  they  pierce  the  ears  with  a  sharp- 
pointed  piece  of  wood." 

TJien  Dr.  Krapf  adds  that  they  are  never  sold  beyond 
En  area,  and  continues  as  follows : 

"  Yet  I  can  bear  witness  that  I  heard  of  these  little 
people  not  only  in  Shoa,  but  also  in  Ukambani,  two  de- 
grees to  the  south,  and  in  Barava,  a  degree  and  a  half  to 


WHERE  THEY  BURY  THEIR  DEAD.  267 

the  nortli  of  the  equator.  In  Barava  a  shive  was  sho^vll 
to  me  who  accorded  completely  with  the  description  of 
Dilbo.  He  was  four  feet  high,  very  thick  set,  dark  com- 
plexioned,  and  lively,  and  the  people  of  the  place  assured 
me  that  he  was  of  the  Pigmy  race  of  the  interior.  It  is 
not  impossible,  too,  that  circumstances,  such  as  continual 
rains  from  May  to  January,  and  other  means,  may  con- 
tribute to  produce  a  diminutive  people  of  stunted  devel- 
opment in  the  interior  of  Africa.  A  jynori,  therefore, 
the  reports  collected  from  different  and  mutually  inde- 
pendent points  of  Africa  can  not  be  directly  contradicted, 
only  care  must  be  taken  to  examine  with  caution  the  fab- 
ulous element  mixed  up  w^ith  what  may  be  true  by  native 
reporters.  In  the  Suali  dialect  '  dogo'  means  small,  and 
in  the  language  of  Enarea  '  doko'  is  indicative  of  an  ig- 
norant and  stupid  person." 

Xow  I  think,  though  Dr.  Krapf  was  a  long  way  from 
where  I  was,  that  his  Dwarfs  must  be  the  same  people  as 
the  Obongos,  though  they  do  not  bear  the  same  name ; 
but  you  must  remember  that  the  Obongos  are  called  by 
three  different  names  by  other  tribes.  It  is  true  the 
Dwarf  he  saw  was  very  black,  but  then  there  may  be 
some  Dwarfs  much  darker  than  others,  just  as  some  ne- 
groes are  darker  than  others. 

Then  I  said  to  the  Ashango  interpreter,  "Ask  the  little 
Obongos  where  they  bury  their  dead."  I  wanted  to  know, 
though  I  did  not  tell  him  why.  I  wanted  the  skeleton 
of  an  Obongo  to  bring  home,  and  I  would  have  been 
willino;  to  ffive  a  thousand  dollars  for  one. 

"  Don't  ask  such  a  question  of  the  Obongos,"  said  he. 

"And  why  ?"  I  inquired. 

"Because,"  he  answered,  "they  would  be  so  frightened 


268  THE  COUNTRY  OP  THE  DWARFS. 

they  would  all  run  away.  Even  we  ourselves,  tlie  Aslian- 
gos,  who  are  their  friends,  know  not  where  they  bury  their 
dead,  and  I  will  tell  you  why :  they  are  afraid  that  the 
Ashangos  would  steal  the  skulls  of  the  dead  people  for 
fetiches,  and  if  they  could  procure  but  one  they  would 
always  know  where  the  Obongos  were  in  the  forest." 

"  fell  me,"  said  I,  "  how  they  bury  their  dead." 

"When  an  Obongo  dies,"  said  my  Ashango  friend, 
"  there  is  great  sorrow  among  the  Dwarfs,  and  the  men 
are  sent  into  every  part  of  the  forest  to  find  a  tall  tree 
whicli  is  hollow  at  the  top.  If  they  find  one,  they  come 
back  to  the  settlement  and  say, '  We  have  found  a  tree 
with  a  hollow.'  Then  the  people  travel  into  the  forest, 
guided  by  the  man  who  has  found  the  hollow  tree,  and 
taking  with  them  the  body  of  the  dead  Obongo.  ^Ylien 
they  have  reached  the  spot,  some  of  them  ascend  the 
tree,  carrying  with  them  creepers  to  be  used  as  cords  for 
drawing  up  the  body,  and  the  corpse  is  then  drawn  up 
and  deposited  in  the  hollow,  which  is  immediately  filled 
with  earth,  and  dry  leaves,  and  the  twigs  of  trees." 

"But,"  said  I,  "big  hollow  trees,  such  as  you  have  been 
speaking  of,  are  not  found  every  day.  If  they  do  not 
find  one,  what  then  V 

"It  is  so,Oguizi.  Sometimes  they  can  not  find  a  big 
hollow  tree ;  then,"  said  my  Ashango  guide,  "  they  wan- 
der into  the  forest,  far  from  paths  and  villages,  in  searcli 
of  a  little  stream,  w^hich  they  turn  from  its  natural  bed, 
and  then  dig  in  it  a  big,  deep  hole,  wherein  they  bury 
the  bod}^  of  the  Obongo,  after  which  they  bring  back  the 
water  to  its  own  bed  again,  and  the  water  forever  and 
ever  runs  over  the  grave  of  the  Obongo,  and  no  one  can 
ever  tell  where  the  grave  of  the  Obongo  is." 


SLEEPING  IN  A  n  WAliF '  S  HO  USE.  2  G  9 

''•  Why,"  said  I  to  myself,  "  this  way  of  burying  an 
Obongo  reminds  me  of  the  bm-ial  of  Attila." 

This  is  all  I  know  of  the  way  the  Obongos  bury  their 
dead,  and  this  was  told  me  by  the  Ashangos.  The  Obon- 
gos, who  had  seen  me  holding  so  long  a  talk  with  the 
Ashangos,  began  to  appear  frightened,  and  asked  what 
we  had  been  talking  about.  The  Ashangos  answered 
that  we  had  been  talking  about  hunting  wild  beasts. 
After  a  while  we  departed,  apj^arently  good  friends  with 
them,  but  not  before  promising  the  Obongos  that  I  w^ould 
come  again  and  see  them. 

The  next  day  I  went  hunting  in  order  to  kill  meat  and 
bring  it  to  the  Dwarfs,  and  their  delight  was  great  when 
I  brought  them  five  monkeys.  A  little  while  after  I  had 
put  the  monkeys  on  the  ground  I  said, "  Dwarfs,  let  us 
be  good  friends.  Don't  you  see  that  I  do  not  desire  to 
kill  you  or  capture  you  ?  I  wish  only  to  know  you  well. 
Every  time  I  come  to  see  you  I  bring  you  food  and  nice 
things."  "  That  is  so,"  said  the  Dwarfs,  headed  by  my 
friend  Misounda. 

The  hours  passed  away,  and  as  evening  approached  I 
said,  "  Dwarfs,  what  do  you  say  to  my  spending  the  night 
in  your  settlement,  and  going  back  to-morrow  to  Xiem- 
bouai  ?"  "  Muiri !  muiri !"  said  the  Dwarfs,  and  immedi- 
ately a  little  house  was  given  me  for  the  night.  I  was 
glad,  for  I  wanted  to  be  able  to  say  when  I  came  back 
home  that  I  had  slept  in  a  house  of  the  Dwarfs. 

The  little  Dwarfs  went  into  the  woods  to  collect  fire- 
wood for  me,  and  to  look  after  their  traps.  After  a  while 
they  came  back,  and  they,  too,  brought  food.  Misounda 
brought  me  a  basket  of  wild  berries,  and  the  other  Obon- 
gos presented  me  game,  consisting  of  three  beautiful  fat 


270  THE  CO  UNTR  Y  OF  THE  D  WARES. 

rats,  a  nice  little  mouse,  one  squirrel,  two  fish,  and  a  piece 
of  snake.  Tliej  laid  these  things  before  me.  To  please 
them,  I  ordered  the  squirrel  to  be  cooked  on  a  bright  char- 
coal fire,  and  how  delighted  they  were  to  see  me  eat  it ! 
how^  they  shouted  when  they  saw^  me  take  mouthful  after 
mouthful ! 

The  sun  went  dow^n  behind  the  trees,  and  soon  after 
it  was  dark  in  the  village  of  the  Dwarfs.  I  could  see 
that  they  were  still  afraid  of  me.  They  had  an  idea  that 
probably  I  wanted  to  capture  some  of  them.  At  last  the 
time  came  for  me  to  go  to  bed.  I  had  some  trouble  to 
get  through  the  door,  and  when  I  was  inside  I  lay  dowii 
on  my  bed  made  of  sticks,  and  put  my  head  on  my  re- 
volvers as  a  pillow.  I  had  a  little  fire  lighted  so  that  the 
smoke  would  drive  the  musquitoes  away,  and  before  ly- 
ing down  I  looked  round  to  see  if  there  were  any  snakes. 
You  must  always  take  that  precaution  in  that  part  of  the 
world.  The  Dwarfs  kept  awake  all  night  outside  of 
their  huts,  for  they  were  not  yet  certain  that  I  had  not 
come  to  captui'e  some  of  them. 

Their  little  huts  were  of  a  low,  oval  shape,  like  gipsy 
tents.  The  lowest  part,  that  nearest  the  entrance,  was 
about  four  feet  from  the  ground ;  the  greatest  breadth 
was  also  four  feet.  On  each  side  w^ere  three  or  four 
sticks  for  the  man  and  woman  to  sleep  upon.  The  huts 
were  made  of  flexible  branches  of  trees,  arched  over  and 
fixed  into  the  ground,  the  longest  branches  being  in  the 
middle,  and  the  others  successively  shorter,  the  whole  be- 
ing covered  with  large  leaves. 

The  next  morning  the  Ashangos  and  the  Dwarfs  went 
into  the  forest  to  look  after  the  traps  they  had  made  to 
capture  game. 


TAKING  LEA  VE  OF  THE  D  ^ YA  JiFH.  273 

As  the  time  of  our  departure  from  Nienibouai  had  ar- 
rived, I  said  to  tlie  Dwarfs  that  I  must  bid  them  good-by, 
for  1  was  going  away  toward  where  the  sun  rises.  "  Now 
you  see,"  said  I, "  you  have  always  been  afraid  of  me. 
Tell  me,  have  I  done  harm  to  any  one  of  you  ?"  "  No, 
no,"  they  exclaimed  ;  "  no,  no,"  said  my  friend  Misounda. 
So  I  shook  hands  with  them,  and  they  said  to  me  in  part- 
ing", "You  ^\dll  see  more  little  Dwarfs  in  the  countries 
where  you  are  going.  Be  kind  to  them,  as  you  have  been 
to  us." 

As  I  walked  on  through  the  jungle,  my  mind  kept 
dwelling  on  the  strange  Obongos.  "  If  you  want  one  of 
them  to  take  away  with  you,"  said  my  Ashango  guide, 
"  we  will  capture  one  for  you,  if  you  will  give  us  beads 
and  copper  rings."  "No,  no,"  said  I, "the  Spirit  does 
not  want  to  capture  people ;  he  wants  only  to  see  peo- 
ple." 

Now  I  must  tell  you  what  I  think  of  these  Obongos. 
1  think  that  they  are  the  very  same  people  of  whom  He- 
rodotus and  Homer  had  heard ;  that  they  are  closely  al- 
lied to  the  Bushmen  of  South  Africa,  for  the  hair  on 
their  heads  grows  in  the  same  way ;  only  they  are  dai-k- 
er  in  color,  and  in  that  respect  seem  to  be  a  shade  be- 
tween the  negro  and  the  Bushman.  They  are  also  a  lit- 
tle shorter  in  stature  than  the  Bushmen,  and  1  have  a 
strong  belief  that  in  times  past  they  belonged  probably 
to  the  same  nation. 

And  now  we  must  take  leave  of  the  Dwarfs,  for  I  am 
to  talk  to  you  of  the  great  negro  tribes  in  whose  country 
the  little  creatures  live.  If  I  should  learn  any  thing 
more  about  the  Dwarfs  as  I  go  forward,  I  will  surely  re- 
late it  to  you. 


CHAPTER  XXYII. 

TRAVELmG     EASTWARD. MEASURING     HEIGHTS. INSTRU- 
MENTS   USED. REACH    MOUAOU-KOMBO. APPREHENSIONS 

OF    THE    PEOPLE. PALAVER    WITH    THE    CHIEF. AN    UN- 
LUCKY  SHOT. HOSTILITIES    COMMENCED. 

Several  days  have  passed  away  since  I  have  left  the 
Pigmies  and  the  village  of  Kiembouai,  and  1  am  travel- 
ing toward  the  rising  sun.  The  country  is  getting  more 
and  more  mountainous  as  we  advance  eastward,  the  for- 
ests are  very  thick,  the  jungle  is  very  dense,  and  many 
of  the  trees  are  of  immense  size.  An  apparently  perpet- 
ual mist  shrouds  the  summit  of  many  of  the  hills,  where 
it  rains  almost  every  day,  though  on  the  sea-shore  it  is  the 
dry  season.  Tillage  after  village  of  the  wild  Ashango 
inhabitants  of  tlie  country  have  been  passed  by  us ;  many 
are  deserted.  The  people  are  afraid  of  me,  and  do  not 
wish  to  see  me. 

Some  of  the  mountains  we  passed  had  queer  names. 
One  was  called  Birougou-Bouanga.  I  remember  well 
Birougou-Bouanga ;  it  was  2574  feet  in  height. 

In  order  to  know  the  elevation  of  the  country  as  I  trav- 
eled along,  I  had  two  kinds  of  instruments  with  me — an- 
eroids, and  an  apparatus  for  ascertaining  at  what  point 
water  boils.  The  boiling  appai-atus  was  a  queer-looking 
instrument,  and  was  a  great  object  of  fright  to  the  ne- 
groes.    The  illustration  gives  you  an  idea  of  the  instru- 


MEAlSCIilXG  HE  I  a  II W.  075 

niciit.  Here  is  a  policeman's  lantern ;  in  it  is  a  lamp, 
and  on  the  top  is  a  kind  of  kettle  in  which  water  is  put 
when  to  be  used.  To  the  kettle  is  attached  by  a  screw 
a  thermometer,  the  bulb  of  which  is  immersed  in  the  wa- 
ter. A  short  time  after  the  lamp  is  lit,  the  w^ater  boils 
and  forces  the  mercury  along  the  tube ;  then  the  de- 
grees are  read  off  on  the  instrument.  With  this  read- 
ing entered  on  the  tables  which  are  made  for  this  instru- 
ment, the  height  of  the  place  where  you  are  is  obtained. 


INSTRUMENTS  FOR  OBSERVATIONS. 

1.  Iron  Bottle  for  Quicksilver.  2.  Aneroid.  3.  Thermometer.  4.  Artificial  Hori- 
zon. 5.  Sextant.  G.  Glass  to  measure  the  cubic  inches  of  Rain.  7.  Rain-gauge 
and  Bottle.  S.  Policeman's  Lantern  with  Thermometer,  a.  9.  Brass  Tube  in 
which  to  keep  the  Thermometer,  a. 

The  aneroid  looks  very  much  like  a  large  watch,  but 
having  only  one  hand.  The  higher  you  ascend,  the  low- 
er the  reading,  on  account  of  the  atmospheric  pressure. 
This  reading,  referred  to  a  table,  gives  the  height,  as  by 
boiling  water.  Any  one  of  you,  procuring  these  instru- 
ments when  going  in  the  country,  can  amuse  himself 
when  he  travels  in  taking  the  height  of  the  hills  and 
mountains  he  passes  over. 

On  my  return  from  the  country  of  the  Dwarfs  I  found 


276  THE  CO  UNTR  Y  OF  THE  D  WA RFS. 

improvements  in  the  boiling  apparatus,  and  also  in  the 
artificial  horizon.  There  is  now  a  very  small  artificial 
horizon,  invented  by  my  friend  Captain  George,  of  the 
British  Navy,  and  it  is  very  portable,  especially  when 
compared  with  the  old  one  travelers  had  to  use.  It  will 
be  a  great  boon  to  explorers.  I  doubt  that  a  more  use- 
ful and  safe  one  to  the  traveler  can  be  made.  Captain 
George,  I  am  very  happ}^  to  say,  is  the  gentleman  who 
taught  me.  how  to  take  astronomical  observations,  and 
how  to  calculate  them. 

At  the  foot  of  Birougou-Bouanga  was  the  village  of 
l^iembouai  -  Olomba,  which  meant  Upper  Xiembouai. 
The  head  men  of  Niembouai  and  of  Upper  Niembouai 
were  two  brothers,  so  the  people  consented  to  receive 
me,  and  we  tarried  there  a  few  days.  The  village  was 
situated  just  at  the  junction  of  two  gorges  or  valleys,  one 
of  which  ran  almost  directlj^  north  and  south,  and  the 
other  east  and  west.  From  the  village,  looking  up,  I 
could  see  the  sun  as  it  rose  almost  from  the  natural  hor- 
izon. The  wind  during  the  day  blew  all  the  time  from 
the  south,  and  early  in  the  morning  the  temperature  was 
quite  cool — G9°  Fahrenheit. 

After  leaving  Niembouai  -  Olomba,  and  traveling 
through  the  great  and  dense  forest,  we  came  to  a  village 
called  Mobana,  the  inhabitants  belonging  to  the  Ashango 
tribe,  for  we  were  still  in  the  Ashango  territory.  The 
chief  of  Mobana  was  called  Bakombo.  The  village  was 
situated  at  the  summit  of  a  mountain  2369  feet  in  height, 
at  the  foot  of  which  ran  a  beautiful  stream  called  Bem- 
bo.  The  Bembo  was  the  first  river  I  had  reached  which 
ran  toward  the  east,  toward  where  the  sun  rose.  How 
glad  I  was !     "  It  no  doubt  falls  into  the  Congo  Kiver," 


A  T  MO  UA  0  U-KOMBO.  277 

I  said,  for  I  began  to  liear  of  a  large  stream  in  our  line 
of  march  going  toward  the  rising  sun. 

The  great  embarrassment  now  was  that  the  people 
were  so  much  afraid  of  me,  not  as  a  spirit  who  brings 
the  plague,  but  as  a  spirit  ^vhose  evil  eye  they  dared  not 
meet.  I  succeeded  in  leaving  Mobana,  as  I  had  left 
scores  of  villages  before,  without  trouble,  and  Rakombo 
had  taken  me  to  a  village  farther  east  with  the  name  of 
Mouaou-Kombo.  The  name  of  the  village  proper  was 
Mouaou,  and  the  chiefs  name  was  Kombo.  If  the  peo- 
ple of  the  wild  tribes  I  had  passed  before  had  been  afraid 
of  me,  the  people  of  Mouaou-Kombo  stood  in  still  great- 
er dread  of  my  coming.  The  people  of  Mobana,  who 
had  taken  me  to  that  village,  had  disappeared  one  by  one, 
and  Rakombo  himself,  their  chief,  had  deserted  me.  So 
I  was  left  all  alone  with  my  Commi  men  among  the 
Mouaon-Kombo  people. 

A  few  days  after  my  arrival  at  Mouaou-Kombo,  if  you 
had  sought  me  or  my  Commi  men  in  the  village,  you 
would  not  have  found  us  there.  Where  were  w^e  ?  We 
were  encamped  by  ourselves  not  far  from  the  village, 
from  wdiich  we  had  withdrawn  to  show  the  people  that 
we  w^ere  tired  of  remaining  there,  and  impatient  to  take 
our  departure.  We  had  been  busy  that  day  in  cutting 
down  trees  aronnd  our  camp  to  serve  as  an  abatis  and 
safeguard,  so  that  nobody  could  approach  ns  without 
making  us  aware  of  it  by  their  noise  in  penetrating  the 
dense  branches.  We  passed  the  night  in  reasonable  se- 
curity, though  without  much  fire,  for  our  dogs,  And^ko, 
Commi -Nagoumba,  Rover,  Turk,  Fierce,  and  Ndj^go, 
would  have  in  an  instant  appi'ised  us  by  their  barking  of 
any  strange  visitor  attempting  to  enter  the  camp.     All 


278  THE  CO  UXTIt  Y  OF  THE  D  WAEFS. 

our  luggage  was  by  us.  The  path  from  Mouaou-Kombo 
to  our  retreat  was  very  steep. 

I  had  that  day  s^it  Igala,  Rebouka,  and  Mouitchi, 
armed  to  the  teeth,  along  the  path  leading  eastward,  tell- 
ing them  to  look  sharp,  and  to  ascertain,  if  they  came  to 
a  villagCj  whether  the  inhabitants  did  not  want  us  to  pass 
through  their  country ;  in  fact,  to  learn  all  the  news  they 
could,  and  make  report  to  me.  After  two  hours  Igala 
came  back  laughing,  and  saying  that  he  had  entered  a 
big  village,  from  which  the  people  had  fled  in  perfect 
terror,  thinking  I  had  come  with  him,  but  that  finally  he 
had  succeeded  in  holding  a  parley  with  some  of  the  in- 
habitants, and  learned  that  they  had  trouble  with  the 
Mouaou-Kombo  people.  Igala  told  them  not  to  be 
afraid  of  me,  and  that  tjiey  must  not  be  alarmed  if  they 
should  see  me  come  to  their  villa.g^e.  So  far  all  was 
right ;  we  knew  exactly  'svhat  was  ahead  of  us.  "  Well 
done,"  I  said, "  my  boys." 

The  next  morning  a  deputation  of  villagers  of  ]\Ioua- 
ou-Kombo  came  to  our  camp  and  begged  us  to  come 
back,  saying  that  if  I  would  return,  in  two  days  they 
would  conduct  me  by  another  route  to  the  southeast  in 
order  to  avoid  the  hostile  villages.  So  we  returned  to 
the  village,  the  villagers  helping  my  men  in  carrying  our 
luggage  back,  l^ow  I  regretted  that  I  had  no  more 
Commi  men  with  me,  so  that  we  might  have  been  inde- 
pendent of  strangers  for  the  transportation  of  our  lug- 
gage. 

As  I  came  back  to  Mouaou-Kombo,  little  did  I  know 
what,  a  dark  cloud  was  hanging  over  us,  for  my  heart 
was  filled  with  joy  at  the  prospect  of  soon  continuing 
our  journey.     Little  did  I  dream  of  the  storm  that  in  a 


rALAVEll  WITH  KOMBO. 


279 


short  time  was  to  burst  upon  us.  Little  did  I  think,  as  I 
ascended  the  hill  in  the  midst  of  the  peals  of  laughter  of 
my  Commi  men  and  of  the  Ashangos,  that  there  was 
fighting  and  bloodshed  in  store ;  that  I  was  soon  to  be 
engaged  with  my  men  in  defending  our  lives,  and  in 
beating  a  disastrous  retreat  along  the  way  we  had  come, 
and  see  the  mournful  end  of  that  glorious  journey  upon 
which  I  had  set  my  heart !  Like  the  little  leaf  cast  upon 
the  stream  of  Mokenga,  I  was  drifting  I  knew  not  whith- 
er. I  had  no  knowledge  then  of  the  breakers  ahead,  and 
now  I  am  going  to  relate  to  you  the  sad  story. 

I  had  entered  again  the  village  of  Mouaou-Kombo ; 
our  luggage  had  been  put  back  in  the  huts ;  Kombo,  the 
chief,  headed  by  his  elders,  had  come  to  receive  me,  beat- 
ing his  kendo  as  he  advanced.  After  a  while  the  elders 
departed,  and  the  chief  and  his  queen  were  seated  by  my 
side  in  the  street.  The  people  were  passing  to  and  fro 
to  their  accustomed  avocations,  and  every  thing  was  go- 
ing on  as  usual. 

"  Is  it  true,"  said  Kombo  to  me,  "  that  you  Oguizis  kill 
people  as  we  Ashangos  kill  monkeys  and  the  wild  beasts 
of  the  forest  ?  We  Ashangos  believe  you  do  it,  and  that 
is  the  reason  we  are  afraid  of  you.  We  are  even  afraid 
that  your  eye  is  an  evil  one,  and  that  a  look  of  yours  can 
bring  death."    Then  the  chief  stopped  and  looked  at  me. 

"  K^shi,  neshi,  ni^shi,"  I  repeated  three  times  (no,  no,  no), 
and  I  spat  on  the  ground  to  show  him  how  I  hated  what 
he  had  said.  "  No,"  said  I,  "  Kombo,  the  Ogaizi  loves 
people,  loves  the  Ashangos,  and  kills  no  one." 

As  I  was  speaking,  a  goat,  the  peace-offering  of  the 
king,  stood  before  me,  and  several  bunches  of  plantain 
lay  near  by,  which  had  been  brought  in  a  little  before  by 


280  2'^-^^  ^'^  UNTR  Y  OF  THE  D  WARFS. 

liiri  peojjle.  The  king  said, "  Eat  these,  SjDirit.  In  two 
days  I  will  conduct  you  where  you  want  to  go.  I  am  so 
glad  to  hear  that  you  do  not  kill  people,  but  surely  us 
Ashangos  are  afraid  of  you;  but  in  a  day's  journey  you 
will  reach  the  Njavi  country." 

Then  the  queen  said, "  I  told  you,  my  husband,  that  the 
Oguizi  did  not  kill  people  as  the  Ashangos  kill  monkeys. 
]N^ow  don't  you  believe  me  ?"  said  she,  looking  at  the  king 
right  in  the  face.  Then,  turning  to  me,  she  said,  "  Oguizi, 
I  am  cooking  a  pot  of  koa  (a  root)  for  you  and  your  men  ; 
will  you  eat  them  ?" 

"  Certainly,"  said  I. 

I  had  hardly  uttered  those  words  when  there  appeared 
before  us  four  warriors  of  a  hostile  village,  who  said  they 
would  make  war  on  the  Mouaou-Kombo  people  if  they 
dared  to  take  me  through  their  village ;  that  they  did  not 
want  me  to  pass  that  way. 

Kombo,  the  chief,  said  to  me, "  Oguizi,  go  in  your  hut ; 
I  do  not  w^ant  these  people  to  see  you,"  and  he  asked  my 
men  to  fire  gans  to  frighten  the  warriors.  Igala  fired, 
advancing  toward  the  four  warriors,  who  fled.  I  could 
not  help  laughing.  Other  guns  were  fired,  when  I  heard, 
back  of  where  the  king  and  queen  and  myself  were  seat- 
ed, the  report  of  another  gun,  and  I  was  startled  to  see 
the  Mouaou  villagers,  with  affrighted  looks  and  shouts  of 
alarm,  running  away  in  every  direction.  The  king  and 
queen  got  up,  and  fled  along  with  the  rest. 

"Mamo !  marao  !"  was  heard  every  wliere. 

I  got  up,  and,  looking  back  in  the  direction  where  the 
gun  had  been  fired,  I  saw,  not  far  from  my  hut,  the  life- 
less body  of  a  leading  Ashango  man. 

liralo  had  done  the  deed.     He  rashed  toward  me  and 


AN  UNLUCKY  SHOT.  281 

shouted, ''  I  did  not  do  it  on  purpose ;  the  gun  went  off 
before  I  had  raised  it." 

Now,  indeed,  I  might  be  sure  that  the  Ashangos  would 
believe  that  the  Oguizi  could  kill  people  as  they  did  mon- 
keys. 

What  was  to  be  done  ?  I  was  hundreds  of  miles  away 
from  the  sea. 

I  called  the  king  back.     "Do  not  be  afraid,"  I  said. 

Kombo  cried  back  to  me,  '^  You  say  you  come  here  to 
do  no  harm,  and  you  do  not  kill  people.  Is  not  this  the 
dead  body  of  a  man  ?"  and  in  an  instant  he  was  out  of 
sight. 

Oh,  how  sorry  I  felt !  but  there  was  but  little  time  for 
melancholy  reflections. 

I  shouted  back,  "Ashango  people,  I  am  very  sorry. 
Wliat  can  I  do  ?  I  will  pay  you  the  price  of  twenty  men 
for  that  man  who  lias  been  killed." 

In  the  mean  time  the  war-drums  becran  to  beat  furi- 
ously  in  every  part  of  this  large  village,  and  the  warriors 
came  out  by  hundreds,  armed  with  spears,  bows  and 
poisoned  arrows,  battle-axes,  and  other  murderous  imple- 
ments of  war. 

My  men  held  beads  and  goods  in  their  hands,  and 
shouted,  "  Come,  we  will  pay  you  for  that  man  that  has 
been  killed." 

Then  suddenly  one  of  the  elders,  bolder  than  the  rest, 
shouted, "Let  there  be  no  war;  let  us  have  peace.  The 
Oguizi  will  pay  for  that  man's  life." 

There  was  a  lull.  Some  said, "  Let  us  make  war ;  let 
us  kill  the  people  who  have  come  with  the  Oguizi,  for 
they  have  come  to  kill  us,"  while  anotlier  party  shouted, 
"Let  us  have  peace."    The  war-drums  for  a  while  ceased 


282 


THE  COUNTliY  OF  THE  BWABFS. 


to  beat,  and  the  horns  calling  the  warriors  from  the  for- 
est had  ceased  to  blow. 

There  was  a  lull — just  what  I  wanted.  I  knew  it  was 
utterly  impossible  to  make  those  people  believe  that  that 
man  had  been  killed  by  accident.  I  might  just  as  well 
have  tried  to  make  them  believe  that  a  spear  would  go 
through  a  man  and  kill  him  without  being  hurled  by 
another  man. 

That  lull  was  precious  time  to  me,  though  it  was  but 
short.  I  encouraged  my  seven  Commi  men,  who  had 
come  close  to  me  for  advice.  "  Don't  be  afraid,  boys,"  I 
said.  "  We  are  men ;  we  can  fight.  JSTot  one  of  you  will 
be  delivered  to  the  Ashangos  for  this  palaver.  We  will 
fight  our  way  back ;  get  ready.  Though  they  may  be  in- 
clined for  peace,  let  us  prepare  for  the  worst,  and  woe  to 
our  enemies  if  they  want  to  fight."  Then,  turning  to- 
ward Igalo,  I  said  to  him  reproachfully,  though  kindly, 
"  See  what  your  carelessness  has  brought  upon  us." 

In  a  very  short  time  we  had  got  out  an  additional  sup- 
ply of  ammunition,  two  hundred  bullets  extra  for  each 
man,  and  six  one-pound  cans  of  powder.  We  could  not 
be  taken  unawares,  for  our  guns  had  never  left  our  hands, 
and  by  the  side  of  each  man  hung  always  a  bag  contain- 
ing one  hundred  bullets  and  two  or  three  pounds  of  pow- 
der ;  so  you  see  we  had  ammunition  enough  to  carry  on 
a  desperate  fight,  and  we  were  bound  to  sell  our  lives 
dearly,  but  not  before  having  exhausted  every  means  of 
conciliation. 

Then,  pointing  to  seven  otaitais,  I  said, "  Get  ready  to 
put  them  on  at  an  instant's  notice."  They  contained  my 
precious  things — photograplis,  scientific  instruments,  and 
valuable  notes. 


HOSTILITIES  THREATENED.  283 

AVe  were  read}'  for  our  retreat  in  case  war  slionlcl  be 
decided  upon  by  the  Ashangos. 

The  appearances  were  hopeful,  and  I  began  to  think 
that  the  palaver  would  be  settled  satisfactorily,  when  sud- 
denly a  woman,  whom  afterward  I  recognized  to  be  the 
queen,  came  wailing  and  tearing  her  hair.  Stripping  off 
her  garment  of  grass-cloth,  she  rolled  herself  on  the 
ground  before  me,  crying, "  Oguizi,  what  have  I  done  to 
you  ?  Why  have  you  killed  my  sister  ?  What  had  she 
done  to  you  ?  She  gave  you  food — that  is  the  harm  she 
has  done  you.  Go  and  see  her  body  behind  the  hut," 
and  she  wailed  aloud.  Then  from  afar  the  friendly 
elder,  who  did  not  desire  at  first  to  make  war,  shouted, 
"Why  have  you  killed  my  wife,  oh  wicked  Oguizi  ?" 

Tlie  fatal  bullet  had  gone  througli  the  man,  and  tlien 
through  a  hut,  killing  the  sister  of  the  queen,  wlio  was 
busy  behind  her  dwelling. 

As  the  sad  news  spread,  a  general  shout  for  war  arose 
from  the  increasing  multitude,  and  every  man  who  had 
not  his  spear  or  bow  rushed  for  it,  and  those  who  had 
them  brandislied  them  in  siirn  of  defiance.  War  was 
declared — there  was  no  help  for  it.  Oh  dear,  what  was 
to  be  done?  I  had  not  come  into  that  far  country  to 
kill  these  savages,  but  then  my  men,  who  had  left  their 
homes,  their  w^ves,  fathers,  mothers,  brothers,  sisters,  chil- 
dren, must  not  be  killed — they  trusted  in  me.  "Wliat 
shall  we  do  ?  Is  Paul  Du  Chaillu  to  run  away  from  the 
enemy?  Shall  these  savages  call  him  a  coward  ?  Such 
thoughts  made  the  blood  rush  to  my  head.  I  shall  never 
play  the  coward,  but  then  there  are  many  ways  besides 
fighting  to  show  one's  courage.  My  mind  was  made  up ; 
so  I  girded  my  loins  for  the  fight,  sad  at  heart.     First  I 


284  THE  CO  UNTR  Y  OF  THE  D  WARES. 

thought  I  would  set  fire  to  the  house  where  my  baggage 
was,  but  there  was  so  much  powder  there — several  hun- 
dred pounds — that  in  exploding  it  more  Ashangos  would 
be  killed.  We  had  shed  the  first  blood;  we  must  be 
careful  to  shed  no  more  without  being  obliged  to  do  so, 
and  I  offered  a  silent  prayer  to  God  to  guide  me  in  what 
was  to  be  done. 

My  seven  Commi  men  stood  by  me,  ready  to  start  with 
their  otaitais  on  their  backs.  "  Be  not  afraid,  boys,"  said 
I ;  "  we  are  men." 

We  had  to  go  through  the  whole  length  of  the  village 
before  we  could  reach  the  path  by  which  we  had  come 
to  Mouaou-Kombo. 

I  shouted,  "Ashangos,  all  the  goods  I  have  I  give  to 
you  for  the  people  that  have  been  killed.  ]N"ow  we  go 
away.  We  did  not  come  here  to  make  war ;  we  did  not 
come  here  to  kill  people.  We  don't  wish  to  kill  you,  so 
do  not  compel  us  to  do  so." 

My  Commi  boys  were  cool  and  steady,  and,  keeping  a 
firm  line,  we  marched  through  the  street  of  the  village. 
A  rain  of  spears  and  of  poisoned  arrows  came  from  be- 
hind the  huts,  and  showered  all  around  us.  I  am  wound- 
ed— a  sharp-pointed  arrow  pierces  me.  Then  Igala,  my 
right-hand  man,  is  wounded.  "  Don't  fire,  boys ;  let  us 
shed  no  more  blood  in  this  village  if  we  can  help  it,"  I 
said.  "  Press  onward ;  do  not  be  afraid.  There  is  but 
one  God,  the  ruler  of  the  universe ;  all  will  be  for  the 
best." 

We  advance  steadily,  the  crowd  ahead  of  us  in  the 
street  brandishing  their  spears  and  sending  arrows  at  us ; 
but  they  keep  far  away,  while,  with  guns  pointed  toward 
them,  we  continue  to  advance,  Rebouka  and  Mouitchi 


THE  FIGHT  A  T  MO  UA  0  U-KOMBO.  285 

looking  around  toward  the  huts,  for  our  hidden  enemies 
were  the  ones  w^e  dreaded  the  most.  Another  shower  of 
spears  and  arrows  fell  in  the  midst  of  us.  I  look  around 
— no  one  is  wounded ;  when,  lo  !  Macondai  is  struck  by 
an  arrow.  The  infuriated  savages,  shouting  their  tcrritic 
war-cries,  become  bolder,  and  come  nearer.  Must  more 
blood  be  shed  ?  And  now  Eebouka  is  wounded.  Five 
spears  fall  by  me,  and  a  perfect  shower  of  them  fly  all 
around. 

Igala  says, "  Chally,  do  you  think  we  are  going  to  let 
these  savages  wound  you  ?  A  man  in  our  country  would 
be  put  to  death  if  he  dared  to  raise  his  hand  against  you. 
Don't  you  see  our  blood  1  May  we  not  fire  and  kill  some 
of  them?" 

"  Be  patient,  my  boys.  Eemember  we  shed  the  first 
blood.  AVait  a  little  while ;  perhaps  they  will  desist. 
They  dare  not  come  too  near ;  when  they  do  we  will  kill 
them." 

Oh  dear,  one  of  our  dogs  is  killed — poor  And^ko ! 
three  spears  go  into  him  and  lay  him  prostrate ;  he  gives 
a  shriek  of  pain,  and  he  is  dead.  Our  other  dogs  are  by 
us.  Commi-Xagoumba  is  in  a  great  rage  ;  he  barks  fu- 
riously at  the  Ashangos;  a  spear  has  just  wounded  him 
slightly  on  the  back.  Rover,  Fierce,  Turk,  and  Xdjcgo 
are  ready  to  help  us ;  we  have  trouble  to  keep  them  in 
check.  They  are  going  to  be  useful  in  the  forest — they 
will  discover  the  men  in  ambush.  The  Ashangos  know 
this,  and  they  try  to  kill  them.  Just  as  wo  reach  the  end 
of  the  village,  Rover  and  Fierce  are  wounded,  each  re- 
ceiving an  arrow  in  his  body. 


CHAPTEE  XXYIII. 

RETREAT    FROM    MOUAOU-IvO^NEBO. THE    ATTACK. PAUL    IS 

WOUNDED. A   PANIC. THE    FIGHT    RENEWED. THE    EN- 
EMY    RE-ENFORCED. LYING     IN    AMBUSH. THE     ENEMY 

'REPULSED. A    POISONED    ARROW. MOUITCHI     SAFE. 

DEATH    OF   THE   DOGS. 

"We  enter  the  great  forest ;  we  are  going  to  leave  the 
village  of  Moiiaou-Kombo  forever.  We  are  on  the  path 
which  we  took  on  onr  way  eastward.  We  are  going  back. 
The  forest  near  the  village  is  filled  with  savages  waiting 
for  ns  behind  the  trees. 

We  can  only  go  single  file.  I  give  command.  Igala 
is  to  take  the  lead;  then  follow  Ilebouka,  Rapelina,  Ngo- 
ma,  Macondai,  and  Igalo,  the  canse  of  our  trouble.  I 
gnard  the  rear ;  the  post  of  danger,  of  honor,  must  be- 
long to  me,  their  chieftain,  for  I  have  sworn  to  them,  and 
their  people  when  I  left  the  sea-shore,  to  protect  them. 

All  at  once  I  remember  Mouitchi.  I  do  not  see  him. 
He  is  not  with  ns.  "  Mouitchi,  where  are  yon  ?"  I  cry. 
"  He  is  dead,"  replied  the  Ashangos.  "  He  will  never 
come  to  you.  We  have  killed  him.  You  will  never  see 
him  again." 

Before  plunging  into  the  forest  we  turn  back  and 
sliout,  "Ashangos,  we  do  not  want  war.  We  did  not 
come  to  your  country  to  kill  people.  Beware !  We  leave 
your  village ;  do  not  follow  us,  for  if  yon  do  there  will 


A  PANIC.  287 

be  war."  They  answer  by  a  fierce  war-cry,  and  hundreds 
of  spears  from  afar  are  tlirown  at  ns  as  in  defiance. 

"  Now,"  said  I, "  boys,  no  more  mercy !  blood  for  blood ! 
Fight  valiantly,  but  kill  no  women,  no  old  men,  no  chil- 
dren ;  for  remember,  you  are  with  a  white  man,  and  we 
never  make  war  on  these.  I  would  not  dare  to  raise  m}^ 
head  in  my  countr}^  if  I  had  killed  women  and  children." 

Three  dogs  are  left.  Poor  Rover  and  Fierce  have  just 
been  killed.  More  than  fifty  spears  had  been  thrown  at 
them.  They  fell  bravely  in  our  defense.  The  forest 
was  filled  with  armed  Ashangos.  When  we  got  into  the 
path  a  large  spear  was  thrown  at  me  from  behind  a  big 
tree ;  Macondai  saw  the  man.  "  Do  not  kill  him,"  said 
I ;  "  he  is  an  old  man,  and  he  is  disarmed."  He  had  no 
other  spear  with  him.  At  this  moment  a  poisoned  arrow 
struck  into  me — a  long,  slender,  bearded  arrow,  which 
first  pierced  the  leather  belt  that  held  m}^  revolvers.  I 
had  no  time  to  take  the  arrow  out ;  the  fighting  was  too 
terrific.  Six  savages  all  at  once  rushed  upon  Macondai 
from  behind  a  tree.  Macondai  fired  at  them,  and  I  came 
to  the  rescue.  Bang,  bang,  bang  from  my  revolvers,  and 
the  miscreants  troubled  us  no  more.  Igalo  now  received 
a  wound  from  a  poisoned  arrow,  and  we  were  almost  sur- 
rounded. 

My  men  quickened  their  speed.  "  Don't  go  so  fast," 
I  shouted  from  the  rear;  but  they  went  on  faster  and 
faster.  The  shouts  of  the  savages  became  more  violent, 
and  they  were  shooting  at  us  from  behind  every  tree. 
My  Commi  ran  as  fast  as  they  could.  Igalo  and  I  re- 
mained behind.  "  Olome  (men),"  shouted  I,  "  what  are 
you  doing  ?"  A  panic  seized  them ;  they  ran  faster  and 
faster  along  the  path,  and  I  shouted  in  vain  for  them  to 

N 


288  ^'-^^  C'O  UNTR  Y  OF  THE  B  WAliFH. 

stop.  AVild  shouts,  and  the  tramp  of  scores  of  infuriated 
men  thirsting  for  blood,  were  heard  close  behind  us,  and 
the  Ashangos  got  bolder  and  bolder  as  they  saw  that  we 
quickened  our  steps.  They  began  to  realize  that  my 
men  were  demoralized. 

Just  as  I  was  raising  my  gun,  an  arrow  cut  the  flesh 
of  my  middle  finger  to  the  bone,  severing  the  small  ar- 
tery, and  causing  the  blood  to  flow  copiously  on  the  path. 
A  little  after  I  heard  the  Ashangos  shout, "  Ah  !  ah  !  we 
see  your  blood  on  the  track ;  you  lose  blood.  Not  one 
of  you  shall  see  the  sun  set  to-day.  We  are  coming ;  all 
the  villages  in  front  of  you  will  fight  you.  You  shall  lie 
dead  like  the  man  you  killed.    We  will  cut  you  to  pieces." 

I  rushed  ahead,  shouting  to  my  Commi  men  to  stop. 
Suddenly,  as  I  advanced  to  overtake  them,  I  see  their 
loads  strewn  on  the  ground  along  the  path.  They  had 
thrown  down  their  baggage.  It  was  now  my  tu]'n  to  be 
infuriated.  I  rushed  ahead,  revolver  in  hand,  and  shout- 
ed, "  I  will  shoot  the  first  man  of  you  that  dares  to  move 
a  step."  They  stopped  for  sheer  want  of  breath.  My 
breath  was  also  almost  taken  away.  I  said, "  Boys,  what 
have  you  done  ?  You  have  run  away  from  the  Ashan- 
gos. You  have  left  me  behind  all  alone  to  fight  for  you. 
You  are  to  be  called  by  those  savages  cowards  ;  they  will 
say  that  you  do  not  know  how  to  fight,"  and  I  looked  Iga- 
la  and  the  other  men  boldly  in  the  face,  and  shook  my 
head  sorrowfully.  "What  have  you  done?"  I  added. 
"Where  are  my  photographs?  where  my  note-books? 
where  my  route  maps?  where  are  those  mementos  of 
friends  at  home  ?  where  are  my  scientific  instruments  ? 
Gone,  thrown  away  ;  the  toils  of  years  irrecoverably  lost. 
My  boys,  what  have  you  done  ?" 


A  IiU^LYI^^G  FIGHT.  291 

The  panic  had  lasted  about  ten  minutes.  Their  flight 
had  been  so  hurried  that  we  had  left  all  the  savages  some- 
what in  the  rear.  "  Bojs,"  said  I, "  think  a  little  while, 
and  don't  run  away  any  more.  Don't  you  see  that  the 
Ashangos  have  the  disadvantage  ?  They  are  obliged  to 
stop  every  time  they  want  to  adjust  an  arrow  and  take 
aim,  and  as  for  their  spears  they  can  not  manage  them 
in  the  thick  jungle,  for  they  have  not  space  enough.  Be- 
sides, we  are  often  out  of  sight  before  they  can  delivei- 
their  shot,  and  the  only  people  we  have  to  fear  are  those 
who  are  waiting  in  ambush  for  us.  Their  bravest  men 
will  think  twice  before  they  come  to  us  at  close  quarters, 
and  if  they  do,  have  we  not  guns  and  revolvers  ?  ha^■e  we 
not  guns  whose  bullets  will  go  through  four  or  five  men, 
one  after  another  ?     So  be  not  afraid." 

By  the  time  I  had  finished  this  little  speech,  and  had 
just  taken  breath,  the  infuriated  savages  were  again  upon 
us.  Their  hatred  seemed  to  be  now  against  Igala,  whom 
they  called  malanga,  cursing  him.  They  dodged  about, 
taking  short  cuts  through  the  jungle,  and  surrounding  us. 
"  You  have  tasted  blood,"  they  cried  ;  "  you  are  all  dead 
men.     It  is  no  use  for  you  to  try  to  fight." 

My  men  by  this  time  had  recovered  from  their  panic, 
and  sent  back  the  Commi  war-cry,  and  shouted, "  Togo 
gou-nou  (come  here) !  "We  are  ready ;  come  here  ;  we 
will  make  you  taste  death.  Many  of  you  will  never  go 
back  by  the  path  you  came  ;"  and  we  stood  still.  "  Well 
done,  boys !"  I  shouted.  "  Show  the  people  what  you  can 
do,"  and  many  Ashangos  fell  on  the  ground  never  to  rise 
again. 

In  a  little  while  we  came  to  a  village  from  which  the 
people  had  fled.     There  I  discovered  the  plan  of  the 


292  THE  VO  UNTR  Y  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

Ashangos.  Tliej  wanted  to  flank  us,  while  some  of  them 
were  going  forward  to  rouse  the  other  villages  ahead  to 
fight  us.  If  they  could  succeed  in  flanking  us,  they 
would  soon  finish  us ;  if  not,  the}^  could  make  all  the 
population  ahead  hostile  to  us  on  our  way  back.  Tliere 
lay  our  great  danger.  If  they  succeeded  in  rousing  the 
population  against  us,  it  would  be  impossible  for  us  to 
escape.  We  could  not  keep  fighting  fore\'er.  I  was  al- 
ready beginning  to  feel  very  weak.  We  had  had  no 
food  since  the  day  before,  for  the  trouble  came  before 
our  breakfast.  The  poisonous  arrows  began  to  show  the 
effect  of  the  poison  in  the  blood,  and  I  felt  a  raging  thirst. 
My  men  were  very  much  frightened  at  this.  The  Com- 
mi  knew  nothing  of  the  poisoned  missiles,  but  had  heard 
of  the  dreadful  effects  of  poisonous  wounds  from  the 
slaves  coming  from  the  interior. 

Poor  Igala  complained  of  great  pain  and  great  thirst. 
"  I  shall  die,  Chally,"  said  he ;  "I  shall  never  see  my 
daughter  again !" 

"  If  God  wills  it,  you  shall  not  die,  Igala,"  I  said. 

Let  us  get  ready.  The  Asliangos  are  coming  silently 
this  time;  we  hear  their  footsteps;  they  are  in  sight. 
We  hid  at  the  extremity  of  the  village,  and  I  shouldered 
my  long-range  rifle.  The  Ashango  leader  advanced,  and 
as  he  was  adjusting  his  bow  I  fired.  His  right  arm 
dropped  down  broken  and  powerless  by  his  side,  and  the 
next  man  beliind  fell  with  a  crash  in  the  bush  in  the 
midst  of  fallen  leaves  and  branches.  Rebouka  fired,  and 
down  came  another  man,  and  one  by  one  my  men  kept 
up  the  fire.  The  Ashangos  had  now  received  a  moment- 
ary check.  The  bravest  among  them  had  fallen  in  the 
dust,  and  my  men  shouted  to  the  Ashangos  that  fell,  "You 


ASHANGO  STIiATEGY.  293 

will  never  return  by  the  path  yon  came."  The  panic  was 
over ;  my  Commi  men  were  ashamed  to  have  acted  as 
they  had  done. 

We  jogged  on  now  leisurely  till  we  came  to  a  rivulet. 
I  could  not  stand ;  I  lay  flat,  and  drank,  and  drank  as 
much  as  I  could.  How  fervently  I  wished  Mouitchi  was 
witli  us !  Poor  Mouitchi !  where  was  he  killed  ?  His 
body  must  have  been  hacked  to  pieces.  Another  dog 
was  missing ;  two  only  were  left.  They  had  been  killed 
for  being  our  friends,  and  linding  out  our  enemies  behind 
the  trees. 

The  Ashangos  began  to  learn  how  to  fight  us.  We 
had  not  gone  far  when  suddenly  they  came  again  in 
great  numbers  without  uttering  a  war-cry.  The  path 
was  most  difficult  when  we  became  aware  of  their  ap- 
pearance ;  steep  hill  lay  beyond  steep  hill ;  stream  after 
stream  had  to  be  crossed,  and  we  increased  our  speed, 
for  we  were  to  be  under  a  disadvantage ;  but  it  was  for- 
tunate that  we  knew  the  ground  by  having  been  over  it 
before.  Suddenly  a  paralyzing  thud,  accompanied  by  a 
sharp  pain,  told  me  that  I  had  been  struck  from  behind 
my  back  or  in  flank  by  an  unknown  enemy.  This  time 
it  was  in  my  side  that  I  was  wounded.  We  w^ere  just 
going  up  a  steep  hill,  and  I  turned  to  see  my  assailant. 
Igalo,  the  poor  good  fellow,  the  unfortunate  cause  of  our 
woe,  was  by  my  side,  and  turned  round  also  to  see  wlio 
had  launched  the  missile.  Lo,  what  do  we  descry  lying- 
flat  on  the  ground  among  the  dry  leaves,  still  as  death  ? 
An  Ashango,  crouched  as  still  as  a  snake  in  its  coil,  his 
bright  eyes  flashing  vindictively  at  me.  Igalo,  in  the 
twinkling  of  an  eye,  discharged  his  gun  at  him,  and  the 
too-skillful  bowman  lav  low,  never  to  rise  again.     I  could 


294  THE  CO  UNTR  Y  OF  THE  B  WAIiFS. 

not  help  it — I  felt  sorry ;  I  deplored  that  figlit  with  my 
whole  heart  from  the  beginning.  This  time  I  was  wound- 
ed badly.  The  arrow  was  bearded,  small,  and  slender, 
and  had  gone  deeply  into  my  stomach,  and  if  the  leather 
belt  which  held  my  revolvers,  and  through  w^hich  it 
passed,  had  not  weakened  its  force,.!  should  have  been 
mortally  wounded ;  but  a  kind  Providence  watched  over 
me,  and,  though  another  wound  disabled  that  poor,  tired, 
^'orn-out  body  of  mine,  I  did  not  grumble.  1  had  reached 
that  state  in  which  I  did  not  care.  The  trouble  was  that 
I  had  to  go  with  that  arrow  in  my  body,  for  there  was  no 
time  to  diseno-ao^e  it. 

My  men  came  around  me,  for  they  saw  that  the  pain 
had  turned  me  deadly  pale,  and,  though  not  a  cry  of  an- 
guish was  uttered  by  me  (for  I,  their  chief,  must  teach 
them  how  to  suffer),  they  saw  that  my  strength  was  grad- 
ually giving  away. 

How  painful  that  little  bit  of  bearded  arrow  w^as  as 
part  of  it  lay  inside,  and  the  other  part  in  the  leather ! 

We  were  now  near  Mobana,  and  the  Mouaou  warriors, 
and  those  that  had  been  added  to  them,  were  still  pursu- 
ing us.  Happily,  we  knew  every  hill  and  every  stream. 
We  crossed  the  Bembo,  a  stream  with  which  you  were 
made  acquainted  on  our  way  east,  and  the  ascent  of  the 
steep  hill  on  the  other  side  was  terrible.  The  Mouaou 
warriors-were  shouting  all  the  time,  "Men  of  Mobana,  do 
not  let  the  Oguizi  pass !     Tliey  have  killed  our  people  !'^ 

Approaching  JNIobana,  we  could  hear  the  war-drums 
beating'  in  the  village,  but  fortunately  the  path  led  us  by 
the  end  of  the  street,  and  as  we  passed  we  saw  the  Mo- 
banians  in  battle  array,  and  heard  them  sending  fierce 
war-cries  at  us. 


oETTixo  nro  AMBUHII.  295 

The  Mobanians  made  common  cause  witli  the  Moiiaou 
people,  and  they  were  like  a  body  of  fresh  troops  coming 
to  the  rescue — they  were  not  tired.  The  situation  was 
becoming  grave,  especially  if  the  people  ahead  of  us  were 
also  in  sympathy  with  the  Mouaou  people. 

We  recognized  the  leading  Mobana  warrior,  armed 
with  his  bow  and  several  quivers  of  arrows.  Happily 
they  were  at  some  distance  from  us,  and  I  ordered  my 
men  not  to  fire  at  them,  thinking  that  perhaps  when  they 
saw  that  we  did  not  desire  to  make  war  they  might  re- 
main quiet  in  their  village,  and  not  pursue  ns. 

We  had  no  time  to  lose,  for  I  knew  that  Mobana  was 
situated  on  the  top  of  a  very  steep  and  high  hill,  and  of 
course  I  did  not  want  to  be  taken  in  the  rear  by  those 
savages,  and  subjected  to  a  plunging  fire  of  spears  and 
aiu'ows  from  their  high  elevation,  from  which  they  could 
look  down  on  us. 

"Boys,"  said  I,  "let  us  go  down  this  hill  quickly,  so 
that  we  may  reach  the  bottom  and  ascend  the  other  be- 
fore they  come ;  then  we  shall  have  a  great  advantage 
o^•er  our  enemies.  We  descended  the  hill,  the  multitude 
of  savages  following  ns,  slionting,  "Ah!  ah!  you  run 
away !  You  do  not  know  this  forest ;  you  shall  never 
leave  it ;  we  w^ill  kill  you  all ;  we  will  cut  your  bodies 
to  pieces !" 

My  blood  was  getting  np.  At  last  we  reached  the  bot- 
tom of  the  hill,  and  began  to  ascend  the  other  by  the 
path.  "Boys,"  said  I,  "  don't  you  remember  that  there 
is  a  big  fallen  tree  near  the  patli  up  this  hill  where  tlie 
jungle  is  very  thick?  We  are  getting  weak;"  let  us  lay 
in  ambush  there,  and  be  as  silent  as  if  we  were  all  dead, 
and  w^ait  for  the  Asliangos." 

N2 


296  ^'^^-^'  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWAIiFS. 

After  a  while  we  came  to  tlie  place  I  bad  spoken  of, 
and  in  the  thick  bushes  just  by  the  side  of  the  path,  not 
far  from  the  big  fallen  tree,  I  ordered  Igala,  Rapelina, 
and  l^goma  to  lie  dow^n  together.  On  the  other  side,  in 
a  position  wdiich  I  thought  would  be  a  good  one,  I  put 
Igalo,  Macondai,  and  Rebouka.  I  myself  kept  the  cen- 
tre, facing  the  path,  and  could  see  tolerably  w^ell  what 
was  going  on  around. 

We  lay  almost  flat  on  the  ground,  nearly  hidden  by  the 
underbrush,  with  our  bags  of  bullets  hanging  in  front,  our 
flasks  ()i  powder  handy,  and  our  cartridges  ready.  We 
kept  as  silent  .'is  the  grave,  moving  not  a  muscle,  and 
hardly  daring  to  breathe,  and  w^aited  for  the  slightest 
rustling  of  the  leaves  as  a  warning  that  the  Ashangos 
were  comino-. 

Hark !  hark !  we  hear  a  very  slight  distant  noise,  which 
seems  as  if  an  antelope  or  gazelle  was  passing  through 
the  forest.  We  look  at  each  other  as  if  to  say,  "  They 
are  coming."  As  by  instinct  we  look  at  our  guns  and 
our  ammunition,  and  see  that  every  thing  is  ready  for 
the  fray.  We  were  indeed  desperate,  for  now  w^e  knew 
it  was  a  death-struggle — that  we  must  either  vanquish 
the  Ashangos  or  be  killed  by  them. 

The  rustling  in  the  midst  of  the  leaves  becomes  more 
distinct,  and  we  glance  rapidly  in  front  of  us,  on  the  right 
of  us,  on  the  left  of  us,  and  behind  us. 

We  see  the  sharp-shooters  forming  the  Ashango  van- 
guard advancing  carefully,  with  their  bows  and  arrows  in 
readiness.  They  came  in  almost  a  sitting  posture.  Now 
and  then  the  leaders  would  stop  to  wait  for  the  men  be- 
liind,  their  fierce,  savage  faces  looking  all  around  at  the 
same  time,  and  their  ears  erect  to  catch  the  sUs^htest 


THE  ENEMY  REPULSED.  297 

sound.  Suddenly  tliey  stop,  perhaps  to  listen  and  know 
where  we  are.  They  look  at  each  other  as  if  to  say, "  We 
don't  hear  any  thing,"  or  perhaps  they  mistrust  the  bush 
ahead.  Then  I  get  a  glimpse  of  the  great  Mobana  war- 
rior, and  also  of  one  of  the  leading  Mouaou  warriors. 
All  at  once  they  gave  a  cluck,  the  meaning  of  which  I 
could  not  tell.     Perhaps  it  meant  danger. 

I  had  been  looking  intently  for  a  minute  at  these  sav- 
ages, when  I  cast  a  glance  in  the  direction  where  Igala, 
Rapelina,  and  Ngoma  were.  Igala  was  aiming  with  an 
unerring  and  steady  hand  at  the  great  Mobana  warrior, 
and  Rapelina  was  aiming  at  the  Mouaou  warrior ;  wheth- 
er Ngoma  was  aiming  at  any  one  I  could  not  see.  It  took 
only  one  glance  for  me  to  see  what  was  going  on  in  that 
direction.  Then,  turning  in  the  other  direction,  I  saw 
that  Macondai,  Rebouka,  and  Igalo  were  getting  ready ; 
they  had  also  caught  siglit  of  some  sly  and  silent  enemy. 
I  shouldered  my  rifle  also.  Not  twenty  seconds  had 
passed  after  I  had  looked  at  Igala  when  I  heard  in  his 
direction,  bang !  bang !  The  great  Mobana  warrior  was 
shot  through  the  abdomen,  and  uttered  a  cry  of  anguish, 
while  Rapelina  had  sent  a  bullet  througli  the  lower  jaw 
of  the  Mouaou  warrior,  smashing  it  completely.  Kgoma 
fired,  but  I  could  not  see  the  man  he  fired  at.  All  at 
once,  bang !  bang !  bang !  I  hear  from  Igalo,  Macondai, 
and  Rebouka's  side.  Bang!  bang!  bang!  three  guns 
from  the  other  side.     Bang !  from  my  own  gun. 

"  Well  done,  boys !"  I  cried.  "  Forward,  and  charge, 
and  let  us  show  the  Ashangos  we  are  men."  We  rush 
througli  the  jungle  in  the  direction  from  which  the  war- 
riors had  come.  They  are  surprised ;  their  leading  chiefs 
are  killed.    Bang!  bang!  bang!  from  revolvers  and  guns; 


298  THE  CO  UNTR  Y  OF  THE  D  WARES. 

we  are  fighting  like  lions  at  bay.    We  are  victorious ;  our 
enemies  fly  in  abject  terror. 

We  shouted  to  the  fleeing  Ashangos  cries  of  defiance : 
"  Come  here  !  Come  again ;  not  one  of  you  shall  go  back 
to  your  villages.  We  are  coming;  we  will  kill  you  all 
before  night.  You  made  war;  we  did  not  make  it. 
Come  and  look  at  your  dead  in  the  forest.  Come  and 
fetch  them  if  you  dare !  To-night  we  are  coming  to 
your  villages,  and  will  destroy  them  !" 

The  voices  of  the  Ashangos  became  fainter  and  fainter, 
and  there  were  no  more  answers  to  our  cries  of  defiance. 

Some  of  us  had  been  wounded  again.  As  we  came  to 
a  little  stream,  my  exhaustion  was  such  that  every  thing 
became  dim  before  me ;  the  trees  of  the  forest  seemed 
to  be  moving,  and  finally  I  fell  almost  unconscious  to  the 
ground.  After  a  while  I  drank  copiously  of  the  refresh- 
ing water  of  the  stream,  for  the  poisoned  arrows  had  giv- 
en me  an  unquenchable  thirst.  The  men  drank  also; 
none  of  us  seemed  ever  to  be  satisfied.  A  few  minutes 
after,  and  we  drank  again.  Xow  we  breathed  more  free- 
ly, and  rested  a  little  while,  keeping  a  sharp  lookout, 
however,  at  the  same  time.  I  examined  the  wounds  of 
Igala  and  the  others,  and  said, "  Igala,  don't  be  afraid ; 
you  are  not  going  to  die  from  the  effects  of  the  poisoned 
arrow.  I  am  going  to  put  in  your  wound  something  that 
will  burn  you,  but  do  you  good."  It  was  ammonia.  I 
applied  it,  and  he  gave  a  piercing  shriek. 

The  slender,  small,  sliarp-pointed,  bearded  arrow  had 
remained  in  my  body  the  wliole  of  the  day ;  two  or  three 
times  I  tried  in  vain  to  pull  it  out,  but  it  seemed  to  stick 
fast  in  the  fiesh  ;  so  I  took  off  the  belt  of  my  revolver, 
and  said  to  Icrala,  "Pull  that  arrow  out  for  me."     He 


.1  POISONElJ  AlilWW.  299 

tried  gently,  but  it  would  not  come.     I  said,  'Tull  it 
with  all  your  strength." 

Oil  how  it  pained !  It  was  like  a  little  fish-hook — a 
little  bit  of  a  thing,  but  it  so  tore  the  flesh  that  I  felt  like 
giving  a  cry  of  anguish.  I  became  deadly  pale,  but  did 
not  utter  a  word ;  I  wanted  to  set  an  example  of  fortitude" 
to  my  men.  Then  I  put  ammonia  in  all  my  wounds  and 
those  of  my  men,  for  I  always  carried  a  little  bottle  of  it 
to  use  in  case  of  snake-bites.  The  blood  had  flowed 
freely  from  my  finger,  and  I  was  sorry  to  see  that  my 
clothes  were  quite  saturated,  but  the  effusion  of  blood 
had  carried  off  the  poison. 

I  found  that  the  effect  of  the  poison  was  to  bring  on 
mortification  of  the  flesh,  and  was  not  so  dangerous  as  I 
had  been  led  to  believe,  though  I  was  very  sick  a  few 
days  after  the  fight. 

After  resting  a  while,  and  after  equalizing  our  muni- 
tions of  war,  we  shouldered  our  empty  otaitais.  Just  as 
we  were  ready  to  start  we  heard  again  a  rustling  of 
leaves.  Are  the  Ashano^os  comino;  back?  We  are  si- 
lent,  and  look  in  the  direction  of  the  noise.  We  see  a 
man — our  guns  are  directed  toward  him.  I  make  a  sign 
not  to  fire,  I  do  not  know  why — God  directs  me.  ISTow 
and  then  he  hides  himself — stops — watches — he  is  ad- 
vancing, not  in  the  path,  but  a  little  way  from  it.  The 
man  comes  nearer ;  we  see  a  gun  in  liis  hand — it  is  Mou- 
itclii !  I  am  the  first  to  reco^rnize  him.  "Mouitchi !"  I 
shouted.  "  I  am  Mouitchi,"  the  answer  was.  He  rushes 
toward  us ;  he  is  safe ;  he  is  not  even  wounded,  and  with 
tremulous  voice  I  said,  "  Boys,  God  is  with  us  ;  I  thank 
thee.  Father."  I  could  say  no  more,  but  this  came  from 
the  inmost  depths  of  my  heart. 


300  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  L WARES. 

Mouitclii's  story  was  this :  lie  had  mistaken  the  path 
ill  tlie  panic,  and  finally  had  gone  through  the  jungle  and 
followed  us  by  the  halloing  of  the  iierce  Ashangos,  but 
kept  at  a  good  distance  from  them,  lie  heard  them  cry- 
inir  out  that  the  £:reat  warriors  of  Mobana  and  of  Mouaou 
were  killed.     They  had  fled  in  the  utmost  terror. 

Poor  Connni-]S"agoumba  was  the  only  dog  left ;  all  the 
others  had  been  killed.  If  I  could  have  collected  their 
bodies  I  would  have  dug  a  grave  for  them  at  the  foot  of 
a  big  tree,  and  written  on  it  the  words, 

HERE     ARE     BURIED 

THE  DOGS 

ANDEKO,  ROVER,  FIERCE,  TURK,  and  NDJEGO. 

They  were  faithful  unto  death. 


CrfAPTER  XXIX. 


TRAVELING  WESTWARD. A  NIGHT  IN   THE   FOREST. PAUL'S 

SPEECH   TO   HIS   MEN. THEIR    REPLY. THE   RETREAT  RE- 
SUMED.   TAKING      FOOD      AKD     REST. MEETING     WITH 

FRIENDS. 

This  meeting  with  Monitclii  revived  for  a  while  my 
failing  strength.  I  saw  in  his  safety  the  decree  of  a  kind 
Providence.  My  warriors  were  by  me ;  though  wound- 
ed, none  of  us  had  been  killed. 

We  continued  our  journey  westward.  The  forest  had 
resumed  its  accustomed  stillness,  undisturbed  by  the  sav- 
age war-cries  of  the  infuriated  Ashangos.  I  felt  so  weak 
that  it  was  with  great  difficulty  I  could  walk.  I  had  been 
obliged  to  get  rid  of  mj  splendid  formidable  double-bar- 
reled breach-loading  rifle  by  breaking  the  butt-end  and 
throwing  the  barrel  into  the  woods.  I  had  tried  as  hard 
as  I  could  to  carry  two  guns,  but  at  last  I  had  to  give  up. 
Now  I  had  only  a  smooth-bore  to  carry. 

A  little  after  we  had  resumed  our  march,  as  we  walked 
silently  in  the  forest,  we  met  suddenly  two  Mobana  wom- 
en. Igala  at  once  was  going  to  shoot  them  ;  I  forbid  him 
doing  it.  Poor  Igala  said  he  did  not  like  this  way  of 
making  war ;  he  said  it  was  not  the  white  man's  coun- 
try, and  we  ought  not  to  fight  in  the  white  man's  fashion, 
lie  was  for  shooting  every  Ashango  he  saw  ;  and,  point- 
ing to  our  wounds, he  said, "Don't  you  think  they  would 


302  THE  COUXTRY  OP  THE  DWARFS. 

have  killed  all  of  us  if  tliey  had  been  able  ?"  I  answered, 
"Never  mind, Igala;  they  will  tell  their  people  that,  aft- 
er all,  we  did  not  want  to  kill  qyqvj  body." 

Poor  women !  they  really  thought  they  were  going  to 
be  murdered,  but  they  had  no  idea  of  what  had  taken 
place. 

We  went  on,  though  I  was  becoming  weaker  and  weak- 
er. A  high  fever  had  set  in,  and  jny  thirst  continued  to 
be  intense ;  at  the  sight  of  a  stream  I  thought  I  could 
drink  the  whole  of  the  water.  My  men  were  pretty 
nearly  in  the  same  condition  as  myself. 

Tims  we  traveled  on  till  near  sunset,  when  at  last  I 
said, "  Boys,  I  can  not  go  any  farther ;  I  can  not  walk,  I 
am  so  weak,  so  weary,  so  ill.  There  is  that  big  village 
of  Niembouai-Olomba  near  us ;  we  are  all  too  tired  to  go 
through  it  and  fight  our  way  if  the  people  want  to  fight 
us.  It  will  soon  be  dark ;  let  us  leave  the  path,  and  go 
into  the  forest  and  rest.  At  midnight,  when  the  people 
are  asleep,  we  will  go  through  the  village,  and  continue 
our  way  toward  the  sea." 

"You  are  right,"  said  the  men.  "Yon  are  our  chief; 
we  will  do  as  you  say." 

We  left  the  path  and  plunged  into  the  woods,  and  after 
a  while  we  halted  in  one  of  the  thickest  parts  of  the  for- 
est, where  no  one  could  see  us  but  that  good  and  merciful 
God  whose  eye  w^as  upon  us  in  that  day  of  our  great  tri- 
als, and  who  had  given  us  strength  to  contend  with  our 
enemies.  We  were  hidden  from  the  sight  of  man,  and 
hundreds  of  miles  away  from  the  Commi  country — I  was 
thousands  of  miles  away  from  my  own.  It  was,  indeed,  a 
day  of  tribulation.  The  men  were  afraid  to  light  a  fire, 
for  fear  that  it  might  betray  our  hiding-place.     We  did 


A  NIGHT  IX  TUB  FOREST.  303 

not  even  dare  to  speak  aloud  ;  we  were  almost  startled  at 
the  rustling  of  the  leaves,  for  we  knew  not  but  that  it 
might  be  the  enemy.  Our  pride  had  left  us  with  our 
strength.  We  were  helpless,  wounded,  weak,  hungry ; 
the  future  before  us  was  dark  and  gloomy.  What  a  pic- 
ture of  despondency  we  presented  ! 

After  a  while  we  lay  on  the  ground  to  sleep,  muzzling 
our  only  dog,  that  he  should  not  betray  our  hiding-place. 
Darkness  came  on,  and  the  silence  of  the  night  was  only 
broken  by  the  mournful  cry  of  a  solitary  owl  that  came 
to  perch  near  us.  In  a  little  time  my  exhausted  men 
thought  not  of  leopards,  or  poisonous  snakes,  or  hostile 
savages^  in  the  deep  slumber  that  enwrapped  them.  Igala 
alone  now  and  then  moaned  from  pain.  The  night  air 
was  misty  and  cold.  x\s  I  lay  awake  on  the  damp 
ground,  an  intense  feeling  of  sadness  came  over  me. 
There  was  I,  far  from  home.  I  thought  of  our  northern 
climes,  of  spring,  of  summer,  of  autumn,  of  winter,  of 
flakes  of  snow,  of  a  happy  home,  of  girls  and  boys,  of 
friends,  of  schoolmates.  I  knew  that  if  any  of  them 
could  have  been  made  aware  of  my  forlorn  condition 
they  would  have  feh  tlie  tenderest  sympathy  with  me  in 
my  misfortunes,  and  I  thought  if  I  could  see  them  once 
more  before  dying  I  should  die  happy. 

Hours  passed  by,  and  at  last  I  thought  it  must  be  time 
to  start.  I  took  a  match  from  my  match-box,  and  light- 
ed a  wax  candle  (I  always  kept  one  in  my  bag),  and 
looked  at  my  watch.  It  was  just  midnight.  We  lay  in 
a  cluster,  and  I  awoke  my  men  in  a  moment.  "  Boys," 
said  I,  "it  is  time  for  us  to  start,  for  the  hours  of  the 
night  are  passing  away;  the  people  of  the  village  nnist 
have  retired.     Two  of  you  must  go  as  scouts,  and  see  if 


304  THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

the  people  of  Niembouai-Olomba  are  asleep."  Mouitchi 
and  Igala  at  once  started.  "Be  as  cunning,"  said  I,  "  as 
leopards,  and  noiseless  as  snakes." 

After  a  while  they  came  back,  telling  us  that  every 
body  was  asleep  in  the  village  of  l^iembouai-Oloniba, 
and  that  we  had  better  start  immediately,  '^for,"  said 
they,  "  the  first  sleep  is  the  deepest." 

Then,  calling  my  boys  around  me,  I  gave  them  what  I 
thought  might  be  my  last  words  of  admonition.  With 
dead  silence  they  waited  for  what  I  was  going  to  say : 

"Little  did  we  know,  boys,  at  sunrise  this  morning, 
what  would  happen  to  us  to-daj.  Men  can  not  look  into 
the  future.  I  was  leading  you  carefully  across  that  big 
country  of  i\\Q  black  man  toward  the  land  of  the  white 
man.  I  did  not  defeat  the  journey — one  of  you  has  done 
it.  Poor  Igalo  is  sorry  for  it,  but  no  one  is  more  sorry 
than  I  am,  for  I  had  set  my  heart  on  taking  you  by  the 
okili  mpolo.  I  was  leading  you  on  well  to  the  white 
man's  country.  Now  all  hope  of  this  is  over.  We  are 
poor;  every  thing  we  had  has  been  left  behind,  and  we 
have  nothino*  else  to  do  but  2:0  back  to  the  sea,  followino^ 
the  road  by  which  we  came. 

"In  a  little  while  we  shall  start.  I  have  called  you 
around  me  to  give  you  advice,  for  I  am  ill  and  weary, 
and  if  there  is  raucli  fighting  to  be  done  I  am  afraid  I 
shall  not  have  the  strength  to  take  part  in  it.  If  per- 
chance you  see  me  fall  on  the  ground,  do  not  try  to  raise 
me  up  ;  let  me  alone ;  don't  be  frightened.  Stand  close 
together ;  do  not  run,  each  man  his  own  way.  You  have 
guns ;  you  can  reach  the  Commi  country  if  you  are  wise 
as  serpents,  and  then  you  will  behold  the  beautiful  blue 
sea  and  your  Commi  country  once  more. 


PA  UVS  SPEECH  TO  HIS  uVEy.  305 

"  I  have  kept  my  word  with  your  people.  I  have  stood 
by  you  to  the  last.  My  boys,  I  have  fought  for  you  as 
resolutely  as  I  could,  but  the  time  may  be  at  hand  when 
I  shall  be  able  to  tight  no  more.  I  may  be  killed  to- 
night, as  I  have  said  to  you,  or  1  may  not  be  strong 
enough  to  raise  my  gun.  Whatever  happens,  remain  to- 
gether ;  listen  to  Igala,  your  chief. 

"  We  have  lost  nearly  every  thing,  but  these  books  (my 
journal),  in  which  I  have  written  down  all  we  have  done, 
are  yet  safe.  If  I  fall,  take  them  with  you  to  the  sea, 
and  when  a  vessel  comes,  give  them  to  the  captain,  and 
tell  him  ^  Chally,  Clially,  our  friend,  the  great  friend  of 
the  Commi,  is  dead.  He  died  far  away,  calmly,  without 
fear,  and  he  told  us  to  give  these  to  the  white  man.'"' 
Take  also  the  watch  I  carry  on  my  person,  and  that  little 
box,  which  contains  four  other  watches,  anei'oids,  and 
compass,  and  give  them  to  the  captain.  All  the  other 
things  and  the  guns  I  give  you  to  remember  me  by.  You 
will  give  a  gun  to  Quengueza,  and  a  gun  to  Ranpano." 

My  men  crept  close  around  me  as  I  spoke.  I  had 
hardly  spoken  tlie  last  words  when  they  stretched  their 
arms  toward  me,  and  these  lion-hearted  negroes  wept 
aloud,  and,  with  voices  full  of  love  and  kindness,  said, 
"  Chally,  Chally,  you  are  not  to  die.  AVc  will  take  you 
alive  to  our  people.  No,  no ;  vv-e  will  all  go  back  to  the 
sea-shore  together.  You  shall  see  the  deep  blue  ocean, 
and  a  vessel  will  come  and  carry  you  back  home.     Do 

*  On  the  first  page  of  each  journal  I  had  written,  "  Copy  of  Du  Chail- 
lu's  African  Journal.  Should  death  overtake  me,  and  should  these  my 
journals  find  their  way  to  a  civilized  country,  it  is  my  wish  that  Messrs. 
.John  Murray,  of  London,  and  Ilarijcr  &  Brotliers,  of  New  York,  shall  puh- 
lish  an  account  of  ray  journey,  if  they  feel  inclined  to  do  so. 

"P.  B.  Du  Chailm." 


30G 


THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 


you  think  that,  even  if  you  were  killed,  we  would  leave 
your  body  here  ?  No ;  we  would  carry  it  with  us,  and 
tarry  somewhere  and  bury  you  where  nobody  could  find 
you,  for  we  do  not  want  the  people  to  cut  off  your  head 
for  the  alumba.     Chally,  Chally,  you  are  not  to  die." 

"  Boys,"  I  answered,  in  a  laughing  tone,  in  order  to 
cheer  them  \r^^  "  I  did  not  say  I  expected  to  die  to-night, 
only  that  I  might  die.  You  know  that  Chally  is  not 
afraid  of  death,  and  many  and  many  times  he  has  told 
you  that  men  could  kill  the  body,  but  could  not  kill  the 
spirit.  Don't  you  know  that  Chally  knows  how  to  fight  ? 
We  are  men.  If  I  have  talked  to  you  as  I  have,  it  is  be- 
cause I  want  to  prepare  you  for  the  worst.  Be  of  good 
cheer,  and  now  let  us  get  ready." 

We  got  up  and  girded  our  loins  for  the  fight,  and 
swore,  if  necessary,  to  die  like  brave  men.  We  exam- 
ined our  guns  by  the  light  of  the  candle,  and  refilled  our 
flasks  with  powder,  and  replaced  our  cartridges  and  bul- 
lets. Ncommi-lN'agoumba,  our  last  dog,  was  looking  at 
us.  He  seemed  to  understand  the  danger,  and  to  say, 
"•  Don't  kill  me ;  I  will  not  bark."  I  looked  at  him  and 
said, "  Ncommi-Xagoumba,  don't  bark.  You  have  been 
our  friend.  You  discovered  many  of  our  enemies  behind 
the  trees  ready  to  spear  us,  and  you  have  warned  us  of 
our  danger.  Our  friends,  the  other  dogs,  have  been 
killed ;  you  alone  now  stand  by  us,  but  we  are  not  nn- 
gratef  ul,  and  we  shall  not  kill  you,  Ncommi-Xagoumba. 
Don't  bark,  don't  bark,"  I  said  to  the  dog,  looking  ear- 
nestly at  him. 

Then,  shouldering  our  bundles  and  guns,  we  struggled 
through  the  entangled  thicket,  tearing  ourselves  with 
thorns,  into  the  path,  and  at  last  came  to  the  village 


THE  RETREA  T  RESUMED.  307 

street.  We  here  paused,  and  called  to  each  other  in  a 
low  tone  of  voice,  to  make  sure  that  no  one  was  left  be- 
hind, for  it  was  so  intensely  dark  that  we  could  not  see  a 
yard  before  us.  It  was  necessary  to  guard  against  any 
possible  ambush.  We  then  stepped  forward  like  desper- 
ate men,  resolved  to  fight  for  our  lives  to  the  last,  and, 
entering  the  village,  took  the  middle  of  the  street,  our 
.  feet  hardly  touching  the  ground.  Igala  carried  Xcommi- 
Kagoumba  in  his  arms,  for  we  were  afraid  that,  if  suf- 
fered to  run  loose,  he  might  possibly  bark.  I  shall  never 
forget  that  night.  We  threaded  the  long  street  cautious- 
ly, with  our  guns  cocked,  and  ready  at  the  slightest  warn- 
ing to  defend  ourselves.  Onward  we  went,  our  hearts  beat- 
ing loudly  in  our  terrible  suspense,  for  we  feared  a  sur- 
prise at  any  moment.  E"ow  and  then  we  could  hear  the 
people  talking  in  their  huts,  and  at  such  times  we  would 
carefully  cross  to  the  otlier  side  of  the  street.  At  one 
house  we  heard  the  people  playing  the  wombi  (native 
harp)  indoors,  and  again  we  crossed  lightly  to  the  other 
side,  and  passed  on  without  having  alarmed  the  inmates. 
Then  we  came  to  an  ouandja  where  three  men  were  ly- 
ing by  the  side  of  a  fire  stretched  out  on  their  mats,  smok- 
ing their  pipes,  and  talking  aloud.  I  was  afraid  Ncommi- 
Nagoumba  would  bark  at  them,  but  we  passed  without 
being  detected.  It  was  no  wonder  that  we  were  afraid 
of  evei-y  body,  for  we  were  so  weak  and  helpless.  Tlius 
we  continued  our  march  through  that  long  street,  and  it 
seemed  as  if  we  should  never  reach  the  end  of  it. 

At  last  we  came  to  the  farthest  confine  of  the  villaire, 
rejoicing  that  we  had  so  successfully  avoided  creating 
an  alarm,  when  all  at  once  a  bonfire  blazed  up  before  us ! 
As  we  stood  motionless,  waiting  for  the  next  move,  a  kind 


308  THE  COUNTMY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 

voice  spoke  out  from  the  darkness, "  It  is  tlie  Ogiiizi  peo- 
ple. Go  on ;  you  will  find  the  path  smooth.  There  is 
no  more  war  for  you."  It  was  the  voice  of  the  old  king 
of  Xiembouai-Olomba.  But,  being  not  sure  that  some 
treachery  was  not  intended,  we  passed  on  without  saying 
a  word  in  reply  to  the  kind  speech  of  the  chief.  As  it 
proved,  however,  instead  of  a  death-struggle  we  had 
found  friends. 

On  we  went  in  the  darkness  of  the  night,  losing  the 
path  at  times,  and  finding  it  again ;  in  swamps  and  wa- 
ter-courses, over  stony  hills,  and  through  thorny  brakes. 
Finally,  at  three  o'clock,  we  came  to  a  field  of  cassava. 
Here  we  halted,  made  a  fire,  gathered  some  of  the  roots, 
and,  having  roasted  them,  ate  of  them  plentifully.  This 
food  renewed  our  strength.  We  had  been  more  than 
thirty-three  hours  without  a  particle  of  nourishment. 

Then,  after  I  had  taken  my  meal,  I  thought  it  would 
be  better  to  burn  some  of  my  clothes  which  were  saturated 
with  blood,  so  that  the  natives  might  not  suspect  that  I 
had  been  wounded,  for  they  all  thought  I  was  a  spirit, 
and  consequently  invulnerable  to  the  implements  of  war. 
So  we  lighted  a  larger  fire,  and  the  blood-stained  clothes 
were  burned.  After  this  I  laid  down  to  rest  a  little,  but 
not  before  I  had  offered  a  silent  thanksgiving  to  that  gra- 
cious Providence  who  had  so  marvelously  preserved  my 
little  band  of  followers  and  myself. 

We  rested  for  the  remainder  of  the  night  on  tlie  hard 
ground,  and  at  daylight  continued  our  march,  but  mis- 
took the  path,  and  finally  came  to  a  plantation  belong- 
ing to  an  old  man,  the  next  in  authority  to  the  king  of 
Membouai-Olomba.  By  that  time  it  was  midday.  He 
had  heard  of  our  fight  a  short  time  before.     We  were 


MEETING  WITH  FRIENDS.  311 

received  kindly  by  the  old  man,  and,  after  we  had  par- 
taken of  the  food  his  people  had  cooked  for  us,  my  men 
gave  him  an  account  of  our  deadly  encounter  with  the 
Ashangos. 

Then  the  old  man  said, "What  an  Oguizi  you  have 
had  with  you !  It  is  no  wonder  that  none  of  you  were 
killed,  for  I  have  heard  by  the  messenger  that  brought 
the  news  that  sometimes  he  would  hide  and  change  him- 
self into  an  elephant,  and  charge  the  Ashangos,  and  throw 
fire  from  his  trunk,  and  would  then  become  a  man  again. 
At  other  times  we  hear  that  the  Oguizi  turned  himself 
into  a  leopard,  and  as  the  sharp-shooters  came  after  you 
he  pounced  upon  them  from  the  branches  of  the  trees, 
and  that  when  tired  of  being  a  leopard  he  would  trans- 
form himself  into  a  gorilla,  and  roar  till  the  trees  of  the 
forest  shook  and  toppled  down  upon  your  enemies.  The 
Mouaou-Kombo  and  Mobana  people  sent  ns  word  that 
we  must  fight  you,  but  their  quarrels  are  not  ours.  We 
ai-e  your  friends." 

But  there  was  no  time  to  be  lost  on  the  way,  and  after 
a  little  talk  we  bade  good-by  to  our  kind  host,  and  once 
more  directed  our  steps  toward  the  setting  sun. 

O 


CHAPTEE  XXX. 

CONCLUSION. KETURN  TO  THE  COAST. — DESOLATION   OF  THE 

COUNTEY. FATE    OF   OLD   FRIENDS. REACH   THE   SETTLE- 
MENT.  DEPARTURE   FOR   ENGLAND. AU    REVOIR. 

I  NEED  not  recount  to  you  our  journey  back,  only  that 
there  was  no  more  fighting,  and  that  we  returned  by  ex- 
actly the  same  road  we  had  taken  going  eastward,  reached 
the  same  villages,  and  were  received  every  where  with 
great  kindness  by  the  different  tribes  and  their  chiefs, 
who  seemed  all  so  glad  to  see  us.  Kombila,  Nchiengain, 
Mayolo,  begged  me  to  come  back  again.  But,  when  we 
reached  the  Ashira  country,  I  did  not  go  to  see  Olenda's 
people,  nor  did  we  stop  at  any  village  belonging  to  his 
clan,  but  went  and  tarried  at  Angouka's  village,  where 
we  were  hospitably  welcomed, his  people  saying, "Why 
did  not  Quengueza  bring  3'ou  to  us  instead  of  taking  you 
to  Olenda  ?"  Then  we  glided  down  the  now  placid  wa- 
ters of  the  Ovenga  and  the  Rembo. 

From  the  Ashira  country  to  the  sea-shore  a  picture  of 
desolation  every  where  met  our  eyes.  The  poor  Baka- 
lais  seemed  to  have  suffered  heavily  from  the  plague; 
many  of  their  villages  were  silent,  and  as  we  entered 
them  nothing  but  grim  skeletons  was  presented  to  our 
view.  Obindj i,  Malaouen,  and  my  hunters  were  all  dead ; 
three  men  only  were  left  of  the  Obindj i  village. 

But  when  I  reached  Goumbi  the  havoc  made  by  the 


FATE  OF  OLD  FJRIENDS.  313 

plague  seemed  the  most  terrible  of  all.  Every  one  of 
the  nephews  of  the  king  who  had  gone  to  the  Ashira 
country  with  us  was  dead ;  all  my  friends  were  dead.  I 
felt  the  sincerest  compassion  for  poor  Quengueza :  Goum- 
bi  had  been  abandoned,  and  all  his  warriors,  his  slaves, 
his  wives,  his  family,  his  children,  had  been  taken  from 
him. 

This  plague  had  been  a  fearful  visitation,  and  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  of  people  must  have  been  carried  off 
by  it. 

Finally  I  reached  my  settlement  on  the  River  Commi, 
and  on  my  way  there  I  missed  many  faces ;  but  I  was 
rejoiced  that  friend  Ranpano's  life  had  been  spared. 
How  glad  the  good  old  chief  was  to  see  me !  He  gave 
me  back  the  shirt  I  had  given  him  on  my  departure. 
"  1  knew  you  would  not  die,"  said  the  old  chief. 

We  had  all  returned  safely  but  one — Retonda.  Many 
of  those  who  had  said  of  us  when  we  started  upon  our 
journey,  "We  shall  see  them  no  more;  they  are  going 
into  the  jaws  of  the  leopards ;  they  are  courting  death," 
were  no  more.  The  plague,  which  had  spared  us,  had 
swept  them  away. 

1  had  gone  safely  through  pestilence,  fire,  famine,  and 
war,  and  when  I  looked  at  the  sea  once  more  my  heart 
rose  in  gratitude  to  that  God  who  had  so  marvelously 
watched  over  me,  the  humble  traveler  in  Equatorial  Af- 
rica. 

I  found  at  the  mouth  of  tlie  river  an  English  trading- 
vessel  ready  to  start  for  London.  Tlie  name  of  the  ves- 
sel was  the  Maranee,  Captain  Pitts,  and  six  days  after  my 
arrival  on  the  coast,  at  the  close  of  the  year  1866, 1  sailed 
for  England. 


314  THE  CO  UNTR  T  OF  THE  D  WARES. 

And  thus  I  left  the  shores  of  Equatorial  Africa,  fol- 
lowed to  the  beach  with  the  blessings  and  good  wishes 
of  its  inhabitants. 

Since  that  time  years  have  gone  by,  but  I  think  often 
of  the  fierce  encounters  I  have  had  with  the  wild  beasts 
in  that  far-off  country ;  of  our  camp-fires ;  of  the  Dwarfs ; 
of  dear,  good  Quengueza ;  of  my  hunters,  Aboko,  K iam- 
kala,  and  Fasiko ;  of  Malaouen,  Querlaouen,  Gambo ;  of 
friend  Obindji,  the  Bakalai  chief  of  Mayolo ;  of  Ndiayai, 
the  king  of  the  Cannibals ;  of  Remand ji ;  of  my  brave 
boys,  Igala,  Rebouka,  Mouitchi,  Ngoma,  Rapelina,  Igalo, 
and  dear  Macondai,  and  of  other  friends,  and  I  hope  that 
I  may  meet  them  again  in  the  Spirit  Land. 

And  now,  my  dear  young  friends,  let  us  bid  forever 
adieu  to  the  regions  of  Equatorial  Africa,  whither  I  have 
taken  you  in  imagination,  and  concerning  which  I  ha^'e 
given  you  a  faithful  record  of  what  I  did,  saw,  and  heard 
there. 

I  think  we  have  had  some  pleasant  hours  together,  and, 
at  the  same  time,  I  hope  that  ^^our  knowledge  of  that  un- 
known part  of  the  world  has  been  enlarged  by  the  read- 
ing of  the  volumes  I  have  specially  written  for  your 
benefit. 

Let  us  always  be  friends,  and  when  I  travel  again  in 
distant  lands  I  shall  not  fail  to  tell  3^ou  what  I  have  seen 
in  my  journeyings. 

Korway,  Sweden,  and  Lapland  are  the  countries  where 
I  am  going  to  take  you  next.     Meanwhile  I  say  good-by. 


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